Written in the Stars
by halfmyheart
Summary: Written for the Ars Amatoria Romance Themes Challenge. WesxJen
1. Friends

Written for the Ars Amatoria Romance Themes Challenge.

Disclaimer: Do I look like I own Power Rangers? Nope, but if I did Time Force would never have ended.

Challenge: Friends

Takes place at the end of 'Jen's Revenge'.

--------------

Wes watched Jen casually from the shadows, wanting to comfort her but at the same time afraid of saying something hurtful. The events of the day played slowly through his mind and he could still see a hate filled Jen standing over Ransik's latest monster, struggling between her sense of duty and sweet revenge over the death of her fiancée. In the end she did the right thing, but only after Wes had reminded her of what Alex would have done.

And there it was again, the reason Jen was in pain and the reason Wes was hiding uncertainly in the shadows. He knew that Alex would always be a major factor in Jen's life, but he had come to hope that he could hold a small part of Jen's heart too. Maybe not in the way that his future 'twin' did but maybe, if Jen would loosen up and let him in, they could become friends. Finally he made up his mind and, with determined strides, walked over to the window that led out to the balcony where the pink ranger sat.

"I know I'm not Alex."

She slowly turned around an extended a hand. Wes gladly helped her back into the tower and smiled within at the brief touch.

"But I don't want you to be like him," she said.

_Why not,_ thought Wes. _Wouldn't you like me if I was more like the man you love?_

Jen hesitated a fraction of a second before continuing. "In fact I like you just the way you are."

Wes wasn't quite sure he had heard her right. _Did she just say she liked me?_

"You do," he asked, his voice hopeful.

Jen looked down then back up to meet his gaze, "yeah, I do."

Wes was ecstatic and refused to hold back his enthusiasm. "Yes! Yes!"

He looked into her eyes and grinned at what he saw there. She was looking at him, him not Alex, and for the first time he really felt like she was talking to him as a person and not just as a painful reminder of what she had lost.

For a moment he really felt like he could break through that tough outer shell to the woman beneath, it might take some time but Wes was always up for a good challenge.

Consumed by his happiness, he throw his arms around her but he wasn't really surprised when she didn't hug him back. _That's ok,_ he thought. _At least she likes me for me._

Yes, they were defiantly on the right track towards becoming friends, and ironically enough it had all started with those five little words.

I know I'm not Alex.


	2. Time

Disclaimer: Yep, I own them, let me tell you...

Challenge: Time

Takes place shortly after Jen's arrival in the 21st century...no particular episode, but if I had to say I would say sometime after Trust and Triumph...

* * *

_Meeting you was fate, becoming your friend was choice, falling in love with you was beyond my control. - Unknown_

--------

She couldn't do it. She couldn't look Wes in the eye and tell him how she really felt, at least not with Alex's engagement ring still on her finger. It would be a betrayal to Alex and in the end it would cause Wes more pain that it was worth, because in the end she would still have to leave him, no matter how she felt about him.

She didn't want to have to look him in the eyes and see the pain when she told him goodbye. It just wouldn't be fair.

But to who?

Was she just being selfish? Was she only holding back because she didn't want to be the one to get hurt? After all she knew she would have to leave one day, but she could go home to her family, and to Alex. Wes…Wes had his father…and Eric….he would live. It would be better for him if she didn't get involved. He couldn't feel betrayed when she left him to go back home if nothing had happened between them.

They said that time would heal all wounds, and if Jen knew Wes he would eventually move on, but she doubted if he'd ever fully get over it.

-------

"Hey Jen," said Wes as he climbed out onto the balcony to keep her company. "I heard that you had a pretty eventful day today."

He offered her a bowl of popcorn but she shook her head and refused to meet his gaze. Wes shrugged and popped a handful of the buttery concoction into his mouth.

"Wanna talk about it?"

"No," said Jen flatly, hoping that he would get the hint and go away. But the red ranger was either oblivious to her tone or he just didn't care because he didn't move from his seat.

"Ok."

They sat in silence for what seemed like forever before Wes finally spoke again. "So have you thought about what I asked you earlier?"

Jen nodded, "I don't think it's a good idea."

"What? Why not?" Asked Wes incredulously. "How can you not? It's perfect! Everyone would love to meet you."

"No," was the only reply he got.

"Fine." He climbed back through the window and turned to stare at the pink rangers back, opened his mouth to speak, and then shut it again before walking off.

Jen sighed. He was, right it was perfect, but if she let him take her to his father's ball, what else would he want to do? It would open up the door for so much more…so much that she wasn't ready for.

She fingered the ring on her left hand absently as she stared at the dying sun. Could she really love Wes? Was it possible that she was falling for him even at that very moment? She looked down at Alex's ring and shut her eyes tight…

Only time would tell…

* * *

You know you want to push that little purple button and make me smile. (grins) 


	3. Album

Discalimer: No, don't think so.

Challenge: Album

Set a few years after End of Time part 3.

* * *

Jen picked up the heavy box and carried it down the stairs into the living room. It had been years since she had looked through it, but she still knew what was inside. She set it down on the floor and blew a thin layer of dust off the top.

"Ack!" Jen smiled as her five year old son clambered onto the couch to sit beside her. "Mommy, you blew it in my face."

"I'm sorry honey," she said leaning over to give him a quick kiss on the forehead.

"It's ok. What is all that stuff?"

Jen reached into the box and pulled out the first item, a stuffed bear that Wes had won for her on one of their first dates. She had never been to a carnival before and Wes was determined that she would love it just as much as he did, and after she got over the initial shock of how big it was she had loved it, especially the food.

She placed the bear on the couch beside her where Joey quickly grabbed it and hugged it tightly to his chest. A big grin formed on his face as he looked to his mother for approval.

"Sure," she said with a smile of her own. "You can have it; I don't think your father would mind."

Joey threw his arms around his mothers neck and hugged her tightly, "thanks mom!"

After disentangling herself from her son's small arms she pulled out the next object, a small black book with the word "Photos" embroidered in gold across the front. She turned the page slowly, as if afraid that the pictures would have vanished, but they were still there, slightly faded but still vivid enough to make out. She smiled as she turned the page again and saw her old friends smiling back at her, Trip in his bright orange jacket and Katie with her wild morning hair. Lucas was in the picture too looking like he had spent all morning obsessing over his appearance because there wasn't a hair out of place.

The next picture was taken on the same day, only this time Lucas was behind the camera instead of her. It showed her sitting on the couch, Wes beside her, kissing her on the cheek.

"Mommy," squealed Joey excitedly, "that's you and daddy!"

Jen laughed softly, "That's right baby. And that's Aunt Katie and Uncle Lucas. Do you remember them?"

Joey scrunched up his face as he tried hard to remember.

"It was a long time ago, you might have been too little," she said slowly.

"No, I remember," he pointed to the picture of Trip, "And that's uncle Trip." Joey reached over to turn the page, "and that's Uncle Alex!"

Jen beamed as she playfully ruffled his sandy blond hair, "that's right!"

"Mom!" Exclaimed Joey, batting at her hand, his attention quickly turning back to the book.

_He's perfect_ she thought as she stared at her son filliping contently through the old album. _He has his father's hair and personality, and his mother's doe brown eyes and temper. _

She smirked as she heard the front door open and Wes calling out to her, _what a winning combination._

* * *

You know the drill... 


	4. Sacrifice

Disclaimer: Ha ha ha, yeah, right.

Challenge: Sacrifice

Set in the future after End of Time part 3.

* * *

Jen held the picture close to the light as she tried desperately to cling to a hope that was quickly slipping away with the dying of the sun. It seemed like forever since she had received Eric's phone call, but she knew that it had only been a few hours…the stillness in his voice and the way he talked around the subject of Wes had immediately told Jen that something had happened on the mission, something had gone horribly wrong.

"_Eric," she said, tired of waiting on him to get to the point. "What happened? Where's Wes?"_

_There was a momentary silence on the other end, broken only by the static from his cell phone. Finally she heard him take a deep breath to steady himself and steeled herself for the worse._

"_I'm so sorry Jen," he began in a slightly helpless voice, "the doctors said there is nothing they can do…Wes is unconscious and they don't think he'll make it through the night." He swallowed hard trying to get rid of the lump that was forming in his throat. "I tried to stop him Jen, but he wouldn't listen to me. He said he had to protect you and Joey, he said he had to make the world safe for his son to grow up in…he told me to tell you that he loved you, both of you, and that he was sorry." _

_The phone fell from Jen's hand as the tears started to fall. She was only vaguely aware of Eric calling out to her, only vaguely aware of Joey crying loudly in his crib. _

That had been several hours ago and Jen had heard nothing else from anyone. She would have liked nothing better than to grab Joey and run to Wes's side but he was thousands of miles away and there was a raging downpour outside, it would have been suicide to try and brave the storm even if he had been nearby.

She sat on the couch staring at Wes's picture unaware that she was trembling until the photograph started to blur, Wes's smiling face as he proudly held out his newborn son for the camera starting to tremble slightly. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, realizing just how close to the abyss she was.

"This isn't happening," she whispered brokenly to the darkness. "This isn't happening."

Devastated and shaking, her body racked with sobs, she curled up into a tight ball and cried herself to sleep. The picture of Wes and Joey clutched lovingly to her chest in a death grip.

------

Morning dawned clear and bright with the birds singing and the wind rustling gently through the trees.

Jen hated it. She hated that she had to wake up to such a wonderful world without her best friend and lover by her side. Sighing she looked at the picture once more, slightly crumpled from her crushing embrace and tear-stained around the edges. Suddenly the memories of the previous night came flooding back to her in a dizzying stab of pain that dropped her to her knees beside Joey's crib.

"He can't be gone," she whispered to her infant son. "Not now when everything is finally going so right."

The baby sighed in his sleep; oblivious and uncaring that he was suddenly fatherless. Jen studied her son's face, every last detail reminding her of Wes and what she had lost. She felt the familiar sting at the back of her eyes as hot tears sprang forward to blur Joey's face as it had his fathers the night before. She heard the phone ringing and forced herself to go back to the living room to answer it.

_It's Eric, calling to tell me that he's gone, _she thought. _God, I can't do this._

She took a deep steadying breath before picking up the phone.

"Hello."

"……Jen….."

Jen felt herself crying again and she was unable to stop, but they were no longer tears of sorrow.

"Wes? Oh my God, you're alive…"

"Jen," said Wes weakly, "I'm so sorry." He stopped to catch his breath. "Jen, I love you so much."


	5. Green Eyed Monster

Disclaimer: Its somebody elses sandbox, I'm just playing in it.

Challenge: Green-Eyed Monster

Set after the episode Undercover Rangers.

* * *

Jen sat on the balcony watching as the dying sun painted the darkening sky with red and orange streaks. She had shed her gym clothes and taken a quick shower before seeking the solitude of the balcony and the thoughtful meditation that she seemed to gain from it. She heard Wes laughing casually with Trip and Lucas over a game of chess and mentally kicked herself.

How could she have let something like their earlier spat turn into something so childish that she refused to speak to him now? How could she have let what happened even bother her in first place, was she or wasn't she engaged to another man? What did it matter if Wes flirted with other girls, it wasn't like they were together or anything. Maybe **that** was the problem, the fact that they weren't together.

Furious, she thought back to their conversation in the hallway of the gym where they had gone undercover to foil Frax's latest evil plot…the same undercover mission that had caused the green-eyed monster that lay dormant within Jen to rear its ugly head.

-------

_She pushed his hands away as he asked her if she was ok. What was he thinking, of course she wasn't ok. "What took you so long? You couldn't tear yourself away from **Teresa**?" _

_Wes grinned sheepishly and laughingly replied, "What you think I liked her?"_

"_Oh no, what ever would have given me that idea, **Albert**!"_

"_I had to make up a name," he said defensively._

_Jen didn't know what made her do it, she didn't even realize she was doing it until she had already done it. "And I guess you just **had** to let her feel your muscles to," she said, running her hands over his biceps._

_He placed his hand on the wall beside her and leaned in closer. "What, are you jealous?"_

_Part of her hoped that he would kiss her then, but part of her also wanted to smack him for pretending to be such a player. "Jealous?" She had asked incredulously, "of you? I don't think so!"_

-------

Jen sighed. Truth be told she had been jealous, but of what? It wasn't like Teresa was any competition…it wasn't like Wes actually liked _her_…

"What was I thinking," she asked out loud as she remembered her actions when Eric had appeared.

_Was I really **trying** to make Wes jealous?_

The answer to her question was yes. Of course she had been, especially after what he had done, albeit unintentionally, but still.

Jen had been furious as she watched Teresa put her hands all over Wes's arm, and even more furious when Wes played along.

"What's wrong with me," she asked herself quietly.

"Who are you talking too," asked Wes from behind her.

Jen jumped, "nobody," she said, startled. "I didn't hear you come up."

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. Trip says it's your turn to play the loser."

"And who would that be," she asked as she took his outstretched hand and crawled back into the tower.

Wes smiled, "Me. You know I never should have taught him to play that game, he beats me every time now."

Jen grinned, not failing to notice that Wes didn't bother to release her hand as they headed down the stairs.

_And I thought I needed to be jealous? There's nothing to be jealous of..._


	6. Gift

Disclaimer: checks eBay...nope not _yet_...

Challenge: Gift

Set some time after 'Test and Triumph'...although I have no idea when Jen's birthday is, not sure if they even covered that in the show, but here you go.

* * *

Jen wandered around the dark clock tower, he mind on other things when she ran into something warm and solid. 

"Oh, sorry Wes, "she said quickly as she bent to retrieve the object he had been carrying.

"It's ok, I got it," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder and reaching for it himself.

_Whoa, talk about déjà vu, _she thought as a flood of memories came rushing back to her from her days as a cadet at the Time Force academy. Most specifically, the day she had meet Alex.

When he stood back up she caught a mischievous gleam in his eye. "What is that," she asked innocently.

"What, this old thing?" He casually held the object up in the moonlight streaming in through the window.

"It's a box," she said with a hint of amusement. "But what's in it?"

Wes smirked and decided to play with her a bit.

"I dunno," he said with a playful shrug and a small grin.

Jen frowned and reached for the box but Wes drew his hand away, out of her reach.

"Come on Wes," she said as she gave him a halfhearted shove towards the wall.

"Come on what?" He challenge, almost as if he wanted her to do something drastic.

"Let me see."

Wes backed away from her, "I just don't know…"

Jen grabbed him by the arms and pushed him in to the wall. "Give," she said, noticing his ever expanding smirk.

"Nope."

Jen wanted to know what it was he had and she wasn't going to take no for an answer. She gave him a slight frown before she grabbed his arm and gave it a twist, like she had the day she had first taken his morpher back from him. He turned around with a small yelp of pain, but he had been anticipating her doing something like that and had transferred the box to his other hand. Jen growled lowly at being outsmarted by the obnoxiously perky red ranger and decided that, one way or the other, Wesley Collins was going to show her what he was hiding. Grinning, she jumped on his back and sent them both crashing to the floor.

"Well," she said as she sat on his back and pinned his arm above his head.

"Ok, ok," he said in amused defeat, "I'll show you."

Jen grinned, but didn't move. She only sat up a little and let him roll over onto his back. His bemused expression told her that he hadn't been expecting her to remain sitting on top of him like that.

"Here," he handed her the box and waited for her reaction.

"Wes," she said as she pulled out the beautiful necklace. "It's lovely…but who's it for?"

He grinned and took the necklace from her.

"It's for you," he said, unfastening the clasp and preparing to place it around her neck. "Katie told me that you had a birthday coming up and well, I know girls like jewelry, at least they do in this century."

"Wes," she said, sadness creeping into her voice. "I can't accept this."

"Of course you can. It's not like I'm trying to be your boyfriend or anything, I'm not trespassing where I shouldn't. It's just a gift from one friend to another. That's all." With that he snapped the necklace in place and smiled up at her.

She gently touched the small stone hanging from it before looking down at Wes. "Well, I guess if it's just a gift between friends…"

"Yep," he said as he admired how good his gift looked around her neck, "now, can I please get up?"

* * *

See that little purplish button? You know what to do with it by now...whistles innocently... 


	7. Darkness

Disclaimer: yeahsureyabetcha...

Challenge: Darkness

* * *

The candle flickered uncertainly then died out as a small breeze swept through the clock tower from one of the open windows. The acrid smoke wafted through the darkness as the embers on the wick turned orange and faded away, shrouding the small group at the table in total darkness.

"Well, this is nice," said Wes in a sickeningly cheerful voice.

Jen snorted across the table as she snuggled deeper into her jacket in a vain attempt to get warm. "Yeah right."

Wes grinned, though no one could see it. "I was being sarcastic Jen. You know, trying to lighten the mood."

"Good luck," said Katie, her voice muffled by the blanket she and Trip were bundled up in.

Wes sighed as he heard the storm raging on outside. The wind was whipping against the tower and the rain was coming down in icy black torrents.

"It could be worse," he said. "At least we have each other to keep ourselves company."

He heard Jen exhale slowly, obviously trying to bite her tongue about something.

"What Jen? I know you have something to say, you always do."

Jen didn't answer immediately and Wes was shocked. "Jen?"

He heard her jacket rusting and what sounded like her bench creaking, then there was silence. "Uh, Jen are you still over there?"

"No," said her soft voice next to his ear. "I'm right here." She sat down on the bench beside him and wrapped his blanket around them both. "I'm so cold," she said softly as she curled up next to him and put her icy hands inside his jacket in an attempt to warm them. He shivered as they touched his shirt and sucked the warmth away.

"Uh…"

Wes shook his head, not quite knowing what to make of his current situation. She was so close that he could feel the heat emanating from her small body and smell the faint scent of strawberries from her shampoo. Finally, not knowing what else to do, he allowed himself to relax and melted into her side. He put his arm around her and rubbed her tense shoulders.

"Better?"

"Yeah."

He reached into his pocket and felt for the lighter to relight the candle but stopped himself. He liked the darkness, it had brought him Jen, why ruin a good thing?

He let the lighter fall back into the bottom of his pocket and wrapped his arm around Jen's lean waist.

_We need these kinds of storms more often_;he thought smugly as he laid his head on top of hers and closed his eyes contentedly.

* * *

You know the drill.../smiles/ 


	8. Song

Disclaimer/Stares at her Jason action figure and daydreams...one day.../

Challenge: Song

Time frame: Whenever

* * *

Jen sifted through the junk in the attic, not looking for anything in particular, just curious about what all was there. 

She pulled aside a box of old books and sat down Indian style to give it a closer inspection. Most of the books were ancient with layers of dust and yellowed pages. She gave each one a brief glance before tossing it nonchalantly aside, but the last book caught her eye.

"Brave New World," she muttered as she pursed her lips and turned it over to read the blurb on the back. "Interesting…"

She opened the book to the first page to start reading but she spotted a smaller box near the window and placed the book to the side to read it later.

"What the—"she jerked the box out of its cubby and three bigger boxes fell on top of her. "Ahh!"

"Jen!" Wes laughed as he moved the boxes and rescued the pink ranger from underneath the avalanche of dust bunnies and blankets. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine," she said quickly as she brushed the dust from her clothes, her face coloring to match his bright red shirt.

Wes laughed louder and pointed to the object she was clinging to, "what you got there?"

She looked up at him, confused, before remembering the object she had been so curious about. "Uh, I don't know."

"Here let me see." Wes took it and smiled, "you don't know what this is?"

Jen stared at the small device with all its buttons and knobs and shook her head. "No, it doesn't look familiar."

Wes stared at her in disbelief. "Jen, this is a radio!"

"Doesn't look like any radio I've ever seen," she said with a shrug.

"Come on," he said, grabbing her hand and leading her back down to the living room. "I'll show you how to work it!"

Jen pulled her hand out of his and reluctantly followed. "What does it do anyway?"

Wes placed the radio on the picnic table and glanced at her, his expression a mix between amusement and bewilderment. "Please tell me you have music where you come from!"

"Yeah, but it doesn't play on anything like_ that_." She cringed as Wes turned it on and static blasted from the speakers.

"Sorry," he said as she covered her ears. "There, much better."

An impish grin tugged at the corners of his lips as he turned up the volume. "Jen!" He cleared the space between them in as few steps as possible and grabbed her hand, jerking her to her feet. "Let's dance!"

"But I—"Her protest died in her throat as he twisted her around, his face only inches from hers. She swallowed hard as the fast paced song abruptly ended and was replaced by a slower tune.

Wes smiled as his arm snaked around her waist and he pulled her closer.

_Be still my heart  
__Lately its mind is on its own  
__It would go far and wide  
__Just to be near you  
__Even the stars shine a bit brighter I've noticed  
__When you're close to me  
__Still it remains a mystery_

Jen felt her cheeks burning as she slowly twirled around the room with Wes hanging on her arm.

"You're blushing," he observed.

She sighed; did he always have to say everything he was thinking?

"It's just warm," she said, tying to pass it off as something else and not as a reaction to his close proximity.

He nodded, "sure."

She looked up to meet his eyes with a challenging expression, but soon lost herself in his intense brown gaze.

_Anyone who's seen us  
__Knows what's going on between us  
__It doesn't take a genius  
__To read between the lines  
__And its not just wishful thinking  
__Or only me who's dreaming  
__I know these could be symptoms of  
__We could be in love_

Jen felt her breath catch in her throat as Wes leaned in even closer and placed a gently kiss on her lips. Her first instinct was to pull away, but Wes tightened his grip and she felt herself give into him and return the kiss as she melted into his firm embrace.

Everything around her faded away as she deepened the kiss and ran her hand over his muscles.

_What am I doing? _She asked herself, but brushed the question off as Wes ended the kiss.

She frowned in disappointment but covered it by laying her head on his shoulder and clinging against his chest as the song came to an end.

_All my life I've dreamed of this but I could not see your face  
__Don't ask why such a distant star could fall right into place  
__Oh it doesn't take a genius to read between the lines  
__We could be  
__We could be  
__We could be in love…_

* * *

OK, the Brave New World reference came to me as I was watching the episode Ransik Lives. You know the part where he explains how the babies are born in the future, that just screams Brave New World!! Anyway, review! 


	9. Quest

Disclaimer/Laughs/ Yeah, of course not.

Challenge: Quest

* * *

Wesley Collins was a man on a mission. He marched into the store like he owned the place, and the fact that his father probably did own it didn't make him feel any better. He walked passed the clothes and shoes straight across the store to the candy counter.

"Hiya Wes," said the perky attendant behind the counter.

"Hey Carla," he muttered as he knelt down to inspect the newest arrivals. _I don't know what she likes, _he thought sadly as he stared through the glass at the assortment of candies on display.

"Here for you or someone else," asked the girl as her face appeared behind the glass on the other side.

"Uh, for a friend."

"Ah, and what does this friend like?"

Wes sighed, "That's the problem, I have no idea!"

He thought for a moment before deciding that, no matter the century, all women like chocolate. "Just give me some of that milk chocolate and a couple of recess cups."

Wes dug deep into his pocket and drug out the money as she rang up his purchase. "Thanks," he said happily as he took the small package and went across the street in search of the next item on his list.

He stopped outside the store when he spotted a small vase of bright sunflowers soaking up the warm afternoon sun. "Perfect," he said as he grabbed them and went inside to pay. "She'll love 'em."

The little bell above the door jingled merrily as he left, reminding him that he had to be back before the sun set that night. "Ok, just a few more items…"

-----

"Hey, you," said Wes as he set down his grocery bag and grinned at Katie.

"Hey, get everything?"

Wes smirked triumphantly, "sure did, plus a little something extra." He set the vase and chocolate down on the picnic table. "What do you think?"

Katie laughed, "I think Jen's gonna kick your butt!"

He picked up the objects and started for the stairs, "not if she can't get out of bed!"

"WES!"

He ignored the insane laughter that followed him up the stairs, lost in his own thoughts and whistling as he went.

"Hi Jen," he said, coming to a stop beside her bed. "How are you feeling?"

She sniffed and rubbed her eyes, "a little better I guess. What's all that?"

"Well, I brought you some soup, to make you feel better." He blushed as he opened the bag full of cans. "I wasn't sure what kinds you liked so I just got one of each."

"Oh, um, any kind," she said with a small cough, her voice coming out as a hoarse whisper. "But preferably something I didn't have to chew too much…"

"Tomato," he laughed, "perfect, I knew it the whole time. I also brought you some flowers, you know, to brighten up the room." He set the vase on the floor beside the bed where they could catch the last rays of the dying sun.

Jen smiled, "that was thoughtful of you." She watched in amusement as his face colored slightly again. "Why are you being so...umm gentleman like all of a sudden?"

"Well, it always makes me feel better when I'm sick and I have soup. Just figured I'd help out, make you feel at home."

"Is that the only reason?" She asked innocently as she spotted the candy he placed tauntingly by the flowers, knowing that she couldn't eat it until she was well.

He looked up to meet her warm chocolate gaze and grinned slyly, "what do you think?"

She gazed longingly at the chocolate then back to her soup. "I think you're in trouble when I get better."

He laughed and brushed a stray strand of hair out of her eyes, "I look forward to it."


	10. Dream

Disclaimer: Still waiting for the rights to pop up on ebay...any day now...

Challenge: Dream

Takes place about five months after End of Time Part Three.

* * *

_For all the sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these, "what might have been." – John Greenleaf Whitter _

_------------ _

Wes wandered dejectedly around the mansion. He randomly picked up objects that reminded him of _her_, his hands moving over the smooth surfaces but not really feeling them. Not really feeling _anything_ anymore.

He closed his eyes and took a deep, unsatisfying breath, before walking over to the balcony and sitting on the edge.

Some days it took all of his willpower just to get out of bed, and some days even that wasn't enough. He wandered around like a phantom, half awake, going through the motions that it took to get him through the day.

It had been five months since she had left, five months since he had really felt like his old self. He often wondered what she would say if she could see him now.

_She'd probably threaten to kick your ass, Collins._ Yeah, there was no way she would approve of him letting his life pass him by. _Wasting away more like it, _he thought as he left he balcony and made his way to the pool.

He always wondered what she was doing at any given time. Where was she? Was she happy? Was she thinking about him? She had probably moved on and forgotten all about him.

"Probably got married and has a kid or two by now," he muttered as he sat by the water and stared at his reflection.

He shook his head, barely recognizing the man that stared back at him. It wasn't that he looked that bad, in fact he looked better than he ever had, it was just his eyes that he didn't recognize. They were cold and distant…a thousand miles away…or a thousand years away…

He lay on his back, his hand trailing in the water as he stared up at the clouds. "Sometimes it seems like a story I heard, or a wonderful dream that didn't last long enough."

He watched as one of the clouds took the shape of a face and imagined that it was Jen's, watching over him and keeping him safe. He knew that she could check up on him from time to time, but he doubted that she did. Why should she? He was just a distant memory, a man that had died roughly a thousand years before she was born…

Sometimes it just seemed like a dream, their time together. A dream that was too good to be true.

If he closed his eyes he could still see her standing beside him, laughing insanely as he playfully threw paint on her white outfit. He could still envision all of their happy moments together, and some of the ones he would rather have forgotten. He could still see her standing by the ocean, the wind blowing through her soft brown hair, tears on her face as she turned to walk away…forever.

But in the end all he had were his memories of a time in his life that seemed to fade into the darkness as the months passed him by, and Jen became nothing more than a ghost that occupied his mind during the day, and soothed his dreams by night.

He sat up abruptly as the clouds changed shape again. "Maybe it _was_ just a dream," he said to his reflection. "It was too good to be true…"

He closed his eyes again, hoping that if he shut them tight enough and wished hard enough that the dream would become a reality and she would be standing on the other side of the pool when he opened them.

But she wasn't and his heart broke a little more than before. "Jen," he whispered quietly to the clouds. "How can you be gone when you're still in my heart?"

He lay back down on the hard concrete. "I can't hold you in my arms," he whispered as his eyelids began to droop heavily, "but I _can_ meet you in my dreams."

* * *

Yeah, ok, whatever. Make me smile. 


	11. Fight

Disclaimer: Somebody elses sandbox, I'm just playing in it.

Challenge Word: Fight

Post End of Time part 3

* * *

He didn't deserve her. He couldn't, not after what he had done, but he knew that she wouldn't see it that way. There would be tears and broken hearts all around before he was through, but it had to be done; he refused to hurt her any longer. It was for the best…

…or at least that's what he had told himself as he sat outside in the car, his breath fogging up the windows, and his heart aching in anticipation of the inevitable pain. But now, as he sat on the couch watching her crying softly, begging him to stay, he wasn't so sure.

Where had he gone wrong? He was a good father, a loving husband…so what had changed? How had they lost it?

"Wes," she wiped at her tears with the sleeve of her shirt. "Please, don't go." She whispered the words, the pain as evident in her voice as it was on her face.

"I can't stay anymore," he said softly, refusing to look at her. "You deserve so much better…." His voice trailed off and he choked back a sob.

He mentally kicked himself. _Get a grip Collins! You have to be the strong one._

He heard her sniffle as the tears started again. "But I don't want you to go. I want you to stay with me an--and with Joey!!"

"No," he heard his voice say, distant and cold, even to his own ears. "I can't."

Wes lowered his eyes and fingered the gold band on his left hand that was a symbol of his love and undying devotion for the women sitting next to him….a symbol of forever.

So how did things get so wrong? Why _couldn't_ it be forever…? He knew why, but she'd never understand.

Suddenly, Jen's broken voice pulled him out of his reverie. "I gave up everything for you, the least you could do is tell me why."

He stood to leave, not trusting himself to hold back the pain much longer. An old saying came unbidden to his mind and he shook his head in disgust. _Sometimes you've got to be cruel to be kind._ No it wasn't fair, and yes he owed her an explanation, but the truth was there was not a good enough explanation in the world for what he was doing.

"I just—I just can't do this anymore. Please Jen, I never meant to hurt you. It-it wasn't supposed to end this way."

His feet carried him to the door but he forced himself to look back, just one more time. The vision before him sent a searing pain through his heart. Jen, her beautiful face crumpled in pain, and her doe brown eyes red and filled with tears.

Tears that he had caused….but he had always hated to see her in pain…

"I'm sorry…" He quickly stepped outside and closed the door as hot tears began to fall freely down his own cheeks.

He leaned heavily on the door, his body slowly sliding to the ground as his emotions overwhelmed him. The sight of Jen, his beautiful Jen in so much pain, flashed before his eyes and he felt a piece of his soul shatter.

Wes forced himself to stand and walk to the solitude of his car, and with nothing but the echo of a thousand broken promises to keep him company, he hastily drove away. But he left his shattered heart on her doorstep…or at least, what was left of it…the pieces that fell to the harsh, unforgiving pavement, to sharp to pick up, and too small to matter anymore…

* * *

See that pretty little button? You know you want to push it!

Hmm...Seems like the last couple of these things have been kinda sad...I promise the next one will be much happier!


	12. Take My Hand

Disclaimer: Nope, the whole eBay thing fell through! 

Challenge: Take My Hand

Set shortly after Jen's Revenge

* * *

"I'll lean on you and you lean on me and we'll be okay."_  
- Dave Matthews Band_

_

* * *

_

The rain fell outside the clock tower windows, cold and heavy, it drown the earth below in a torrent of dismal black misery that showed no signs of letting up any time soon. The power had gone out a few hours before but Wes had stocked the tower store room with candles and flashlights a few days before in anticipation of the coming storm.

Wes smiled as he watched the shadows dance on the wall as he made puppets in front of the flickering orange flame of his candle.

"Hey, I like that one," shouted Trip with amused excitement.

"Umm…" said Lucas, scratching his head, "what is it supposed to be?"

"It's a goose!" Wes dropped his hands and smiled at the bemused expression on his friends face. "OK, I'll try a different one."

He moved his hands back in front of the flames and positioned them so that they cast a different shadow onto the wall. He glanced over his shoulder with a big grin, "see it?"

Lucas shook his head in a definite 'no' gesture.

"Wow!" Shouted Trip. "I see it, it's a dog!"

Wes's grin widened. "Yeah, what about this one?"

Both rangers looked perplexed by his latest puppet and neither answered when Wes tried to give them hints. He was about to give up and tell them when her heard a voice from a cross the room answer.

"It's a camel."

He turned to look in the direction of Jen's voice and saw her face buried in a book as she read by candle light.

"That's bad for your eyes ya know," he said.

She smiled but her eyes never left the page. "Maybe."

Wes pursed his lips together and wandered over to sit beside her on the couch. "Whatcha reading?"

"A book," she answered her voice heavy with sarcasm.

"No way! Can I see it?"

Jen shook her head causing her soft brown hair to fly wildly around her face. She was too engrossed in the book to speak and Wes was too much of a gentleman to snatch it from her…well, then again.

His hand flew out, fast as lightening, and seized the book. Snatching it out of her hands he took off in the direction of the stairs.

"Hey!" She leapt to her feet and chased him around the room as he read out loud from the book.

"Jen," he said as he side stepped her, "what is this?"

She shrugged, "remember I found it in the attic a while back?"

"Yeah…" He trailed off as she tackled him and sent them both crashing painfully to the floor. "Hey!"

Grinning mischievously, she snatched the book back before standing and brushing herself off.

"You don't play fair," he complained as he sat up rubbing his back. He turned to look at what he had fallen on and grimaced as he saw one of those yellow suitcase things that they kept stuff in lying where his back had just been. "That's gonna leave a mark," he whispered.

Jen frowned, "sorry."

"No problem," said Wes as he reached for the corner of the picnic table to pull himself up. He smiled when Jen grabbed his wrist and shook her head.

"No, take my hand."

Wes looked up to meet her warm brown gaze and saw for the first time that she was looking at him with a worried expression, but most of all that she was looking at _him _and not seeing the mirror image of someone else.

"Thanks," he said as he grasped her warm hand in his and righted himself.

He stood still for a moment, his face mere inches from hers, so close that he could feel her hot breaths on his cheek as she stared at him. It wasn't until he heard a flirtatious whistle coming from Lucas's direction that he realized they were still holding hands. Jen quickly dropped his hand and averted her gaze before muttering something about a shower and hastily making her exit, but Wes just stood there with a lopsided grin, oblivious to the presence of the other three rangers until he heard Katie's mocking voice.

"No, take _my_ hand…"

* * *

Leave some love! Much happier, no? 


	13. Power

Disclaimer: If I owned them I wouldn't be writing fanfiction, now would I?

Challenge: Power

Set after Destiny Defeated

* * *

Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely.  
_-Unknown_

* * *

The clock tower was silent as he crept up the stairs. He knew that the others were already in bed by that late hour and didn't want to wake them. He didn't feel tired, restless perhaps, but not tired. He crossed the room in as few steps as possible and sank heavily onto the couch. It creaked in protest beneath his weight, but he had more important things on his mind than the old couch. 

He could still see his father lying in that hospital bed, so frail, slipping away from him with every second that passed by.

_Your father will die tomorrow. _Alex's words came back to haunt him, but they were soon replaced by another's.

_I couldn't be more disappointed. _They were the words of his father, said in bitter anger and great disillusionment. He hadn't understood what Wes was trying to do, what he_ had_ to do, the pull of the power. But then again, his father had never understood anything except the irresistible pull of money.

Wes shook his head. But that had all changed recently. He remembered that he had chosen to abandon his dying father and help the ranger defeat Frax's new robot. When he had returned to hospital, it was to an empty and cold room. His father was gone and he had abandoned him, Alex had been right. He remembered all the emotions that had flooded his senses then. Guilt, sadness, despair, hatred, fear, shame…the list went on until that second when he heard his father's soft voice calling out to him. At first he didn't believe his own ears as he slowly raised his head from the bed, but as he turned around and saw him sitting in that wheelchair, all of his previous emotions were washed away by relief and joy; and Alex was to thank…

Now, as he sat alone in the clock tower's 'living room' all of those previous emotions came flooding back to him in a dizzying haze of pain and comprehension. He had left his father, but why?

It was the power, there was no other explanation. He had tasted the power, what it could do, how it made him feel, and he couldn't deny it. He could lie to himself and say that he was only trying to help, that the team was stronger with him as red ranger, but that wasn't the truth, at least not all of it.

He closed his eyes and remembered the moment that Alex had demanded he return the red chrono morpher to him. Wes had been furious. He had handed it over, very reluctantly, and it felt as if a piece of his soul had been ripped away as Alex snatched it from his grasp. That was when he realized just how much he disliked Alex and it was because of more than his cold, detached treatment of Jen.

It was about the power, it had always been about the power.

_Your place it with the rangers._ Even his father finally understood….

"Wes?"

He was so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't heard Jen approach the couch. Her pajamas were wrinkled from sleep and her hair was a bit wild, but even in her current state Wes was reminded of how beautiful she was.

"Sorry, I didn't hear you come up."

"I noticed." She sat on the other end of the couch. "You're wrong you know…about the power."

He stared at her, shocked beyond belief.

"How did you know what I was thinking?" He was bemused. Was she psychic and had never told him?

A small smile lit up her face. "You were talking to yourself, muttering under your breath. It's kinda cute," she said, then quickly added, "Alex does it, too. I guess you two are more alike than anyone ever thought."

Wes let out the breath that he didn't know he had been holding. "Oh." He was kind of glad she had said it, but disappointed that she had to bring Alex into the picture.

"What do you mean I'm wrong?"

She moved closer, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "It's not about the power Wes, or the way it makes you feel. It's about what the power does, and what it accomplished that makes you feel good."

Wes shook his head, not fully understanding her words.

Jen sighed. "When you go into battle and fight, you are doing so to protect the city and the people that live here. The power gives you a rush, sure, but the things that make you fell good are the smiles and cheers of the people that gather around after the battle to cheer you on. It gives you this warm and fuzzy feeling and lets you know that you are doing the right thing."

He slowly nodded as she trailed off. "So, it's not the power that made me leave my father's side?"

"No, it was a greater calling to defend the city; something that you knew deep down your father would understand and be proud of."

"He was," said Wes, his voice barley audible.

"So, I'm not turning into a power hungry monster?"

Jen actually laughed as she rose from the couch. "No. The power can be overwhelming at times, but you always do the right thing Wes."

He grinned, "Thanks Jen. You don't know how good that makes me feel to hear you say that."

She yawned and brushed her hand through his unruly blond hair. It was meant to be a friendly gesture and Wes knew that she had no idea how it affected him. "Goodnight Wes."

"Goodnight Jen. Sleep tight."

He watched her disappear up the stairs and felt a small tug at his heart. Maybe there was some hope left for him…for her…for them after the way Alex had acted. After all, power was a strong thing and if did strange things to people. But there was no power, not even the ranger powers that confused him more than the power of the heart.

* * *

Umm...that didn't work out like I thought it would...make me smile anyway... :) 


	14. Mirror

Disclaimer: I think you know by now that I don't own it, right? Right.

Challenge: Mirror

Set three years after End of Time. Jen is back in her own time.

_

* * *

_

_All of my memories keep you near. In silent moments imagine you here._

_– Memories by Within Temptation_

* * *

The mirror was foggy and reflected only the bright light from the ceiling as Jen stood in front of it. She reached up and rubbed her hand across it in an attempt to clear away the condensation that had gathered there from her hot shower. As she drew her hand away she saw herself reflected in the small rectangular curve she had made. Satisfied, she picked up her mascara and leaned towards the mirror.

"Damn!" The curse came out without her thinking about it as the small stick slipped from her sweaty palm and clattered to the floor.

Jen reached for it, wondering when she had become so clumsy, and stood back up. From the corner of her eye she caught a fleeting glimpse of something familiar in the mirror. She glanced behind her to make sure she was alone then back to her own reflection. Instinctively, she placed her hand on the cool surface to trace the face she had see, one that she saw every day of her life, but different somehow. Blond hair instead of black and eyes a shade lighter than those she woke up to each morning.

"Wes?" She shook her head and let out the breath she didn't know she had been holding. There was no use questioning the mirror, it couldn't talk back.

There was only one explanation for what she had seen; her mind was playing tricks on her. Wes was long gone…

She had thought that she had forgotten him, three years was a long time to hold onto something that was never meant to be, but she had been wrong. So very wrong. The mere thought of him brought memories back to the surface that she thought she had forgotten, feelings that she was sure she no longer felt. She had thought Wes was gone but in that instant she knew that she had only buried his memory, he still burned deep within her.

A flood of memories rushed to the surface and for a moment the mirror was filled with his image. His smiling face, the way his laughter lit up his eyes. The grim determination that he had in the most intense situations, and the way he always made her smile, no matter how crummy she felt. No, she hadn't forgotten, and she hadn't moved on like she thought.

"Jennifer?"

Jen jumped as the voice of a ghost lifted her from her reverie, his reflection staring back at her, concern registering in his sharp gaze.

There he was again…but then she came to her senses, she didn't believe in ghosts.

"Alex," she said calmly, averting her gaze to the sink. "You startled me."

"Are you ok?"

She felt his touch on her shoulder and immediately thought of Wes. "I'm fine," she lied.

She risked a glance into the mirror and saw a dark frown cross her husband's features. He knew she was lying, but he chose not to call her bluff.

"It's almost 6:30," he said, his voice low and infused with a strange sadness. "Hurry up; we're going to be late for work."

Jen nodded and watched his retreating back in the mirror. He knew, she didn't know how he knew, he just did. Alex had this uncanny ability of knowing when she was thinking about Wes. But the thing that frustrated her most was how silent and withdrawn he would become, it almost made her feel like she was back in the twenty first century and he was the cold commanding officer that had taken back the red chrono morpher.

Sighing, she quickly threw on her uniform and finished her makeup before grabbing her jacket and reaching for the light switch, casting once last glance back at the blank mirror before she followed her husband out of their small apartment.

She watched him as they waited silently for the elevator and wondered what he was thinking about. An uncomfortable stillness had fallen between them, forming a gap that neither wanted to be the first one to cross, but Jen caved first.

"Alex," she asked, already knowing the answer, "what's wrong?"

He shook his head but didn't look at her, "nothing."

Jen took a deep, relaxing breath and tentatively placed her hand on his shoulder. "It's something."

He shook his head once more and stepped into the newly arrived elevator. "It's nothing, really. I'm just tired." He met her stare with a weary smile as he reached for the panel of buttons.

"Oh," replied Jen, deciding not to press the issue any further.

The doors slid closed and Jen found herself staring at the mirror that covered the inside of the doors. A mirror that she silently cursed even as she marveled at the sight of herself and Alex in their crisp white uniforms as Alex's hand slowly slid into hers. A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

Jen smiled back at his reflection, all the while wondering what had happened to Wes in his time.

Knowing Wes the way she did she knew that he had not wasted his life, it had been extraordinary because that was the way Wes lived. Near the edge, but not close enough to fall off. Probably went out with a bang too, always the one to make an entrance there was no doubt that his exit would be any less spectacular.

Staring at the reflection in the mirror, Jen realized that the figure of Wes was gradually fading away, being replaced by a similar face. Maybe one day it would fade away completely, maybe one day she wouldn't be haunted by his memory, maybe one day the face in the mirror would be the reflection of her husband.

Maybe one day…

* * *

Yeah, anyway. Reviews are love! 


	15. Game

Disclaimer: I will own them at midnight...kidding!

Challenge: Game

Set after End of Time

* * *

_What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.  
-Shakespeare_

* * *

"How about Frank?"

Jen craned her neck to get a better look at her husbands face. "Please," she said with a hint of desperation in her voice, "tell me you are joking!"

Wes laughed and hugged her tighter to his side. His right hand moved in slow circles across her swollen stomach, "Maybe a little," he admitted, "but my great grandfather was named Frank."

"Poor man," joked Jen, slightly less horrified by his suggestion for a baby name now that she knew he wasn't serious.

Wes grinned at her distress, "Yeah it is a bit old fashion huh?"

"Do you really want _me_ to answer that?"

"Well…" he stated at her face for a moment, taking in her beauty before he leaned over and placed a soft kiss on her lips. "George," he suggested, breaking the kiss and watching for her reaction.

"And what if it is a girl?"

A wicked grin crossed his face and Jen _knew _she didn't want to hear the next words that fell out of his mouth. "Then we call her Georgina."

She let out a long sigh, sometimes she hated being right. But she really should have been use to Wes's sense of humor by now. "You don't get to name anything." She said as she gave him a playful. Then she spotted the small tan animal on the floor near her foot. "Not even the dog."

"Hey," said Wes laughingly, "I'll have you know that Cujo is a perfectly acceptable name for a dog n this time period."

"Yeah, for a killer dog, not a lovable mutt. Ow!" She rubbed her belly as the baby kicked and shot her husband a cold glare. "See he doesn't like your suggestion either."

Wes shrugged and smiled. "Ok, what do you think we should name him…or her," he said, settling his arm around her shoulders.

Jen brushed a strand of hair back from her face, lost in thought. "Mmm, maybe Michael."

"After your brother," asked Wes, and when Jen nodded absently he went on quietly, "maybe as a middle name."

"We could always name him Eric," she said teasingly, inching away for her husband.

Wes's head snapped up and his jaw dropped, "I can't believe you, oh you're gonna pay for that."

There was a muffled "no" from Jen as Wes grabbed her and proceeded to tickle her until she was crying from laughing so hard. "Don't even play like that Jen, if you know what's good for you."

When she could finally breathe again she sat up and wiped her eyes on Wes's sleeve. "I'll tell Eric that you don't like his name next time I see him…." She move away again, but Wes was the quicker of the two.

He grabbed her arm and pulled her back onto his lap. "Don't even think about it," he warned her in a low whisper.

"Aww baby, I was only joking." Jen reached up to smooth back his blond hair and kissed his forehead, "what about naming him Joseph?"

"Joseph?" The father to be mulled it over in his head. It wasn't a bad name, certainly nothing like Frank or George. It was respectable and Wes liked it. "We could call him Joey," he suggested.

"I like Joey," she said with a dazzling smile. "Joseph Michael Collins, Joey for short."

"It's settled then!"

The happy couple leaned back on the couch, lost in each others eyes, content with the name for their child, at least, until Wes broke the silence, his voice a mischievous murmur.

"But what if it's a girl?"


	16. Worst Case Scenario

Disclaimer: What do you think? 'cue evil laughter'

Challenge: Worst Case Scenario

Set during the season, somewhere after Trust and Triumph.

* * *

The frosty wind cut through his thin jacket and turned his blood to ice. He pulled his jacket closer around his body in a vein attempt to keep warm, but the frozen wilderness around him seemed determined that he be as miserable as possible. 

"Why are we here again," he asked his companion as another shiver ran down his spine. "It's at least 5 below; we're going to catch pneumonia or something."

Jen sighed, "Wes, why do you always have to complain about everything?"

Puzzled and more than a little bit irate about his current situation, Wes threw her a glare that would have melted a glacier; too bad it did nothing to warm his present environment. "I Do. Not. Complain. About. Everything." The words came out in harsh, punctuated sentences.

Jen shook her head and rolled her eyes as she heard another voice from behind them, "touchy."

Wes growled and turned to face Lucas; he looked him over and silently cursed the blue ranger for having a thick, comfy jacket to snuggle into. But as he stared at him his anger unexpectedly dissipated to a smoldering pile of ashes, "can it Lucas," he said in a small voice.

Lucas smirked and shrugged his shoulders. "While this nature hike is all very…um…fascinating, I think I'll go wait in the car." He took off the pack he had been carrying and shoved it into Wes's arms. "See you two later."

Wes watched the silhouette of his friend disappear into the darkness beyond his sight. "This is crazy," he muttered, kicking a soft snow drift with the toe of his sneaker. He turned back to Jen expecting an answer but found that she was already moving between the thick clusters of dead trees and up the hill, slowly disappearing into the night. "Jen! Wait up!"

He hurried up the hill after her, his breath coming in shallow gasps as the cold winter air burned his lungs and the back of his throat. When he finally reached her side, he grabbed her elbow. "Jen, wait a sec."

"Are you ok Wes?" Her eyes were concerned but her voice was carefully neutral.

"Yes, just a bit winded…and cold."

The shadow of a frown crossed her face and her eyebrows creased together. "Maybe we should go back."

Wes nodded but didn't say a word. He felt Jen's hand slid into the crook of his arm as she clung to his side for warmth and he was glad that it was too dark for her to see his reaction to her touch. He knew that he was blushing furiously as he tried to keep the smile off of his face. "Yeah, before we both get sick…"

They walk for a about an hour, back the way they had came, but in the darkness they lost the trail and ended up in a place that neither of them had seen before.

"We're lost," said Jen finally, her voice small and frightened.

Wes shook his head and dropped to his knees in the snow. He fumbled around in Lucas's pack but found nothing that would do them any good in their current situation. He sighed and pulled out the thick fleece blanket that had been tucked into the bottom of the pack.

"Here," he stood and draped it around Jen's small shoulders. "We should keep going, maybe we'll find the trail again, or someone who lives up here."

Jen gladly accepted the blanket but shook her head, "You think anyone _actually_ lives this far out?"

"I don't know…maybe." He hated to admit it but she was probably right. No one in their right mind would live in this desolate frozen wasteland. No one in their _right_ mind…he shook the thought from his head, no use worrying about _that _right now. He thought about contacting Lucas using their morphers but if they didn't know where they were, he knew that Lucas and the others wouldn't know where they were.

After another hour of wandering aimlessly they came upon an old abandoned cabin. Most of the windows were intact, but some lay in tiny shards along the floor. The moonlight streaming through them gave Wes the eerie sensation of entering a haunted house, but he brushed the ridiculous notion aside.

"You don't think anyone lives here, do you?"

He approached the remains of an old fireplace and reached up to brush away a thick layer of cobwebs. Wrinkling his nose in more than a little digest as the cottony substance stuck to his arm he shot Jen a sideways glance, "from the looks of this place, I'd say no one has lived here in a_ very_ long time."

"Well," she began, "I suppose we could stay here until morning, and then try to find our way back."

"Yeah…" He trailed off, all too aware of their current situation and suddenly uncomfortable with it. He wiped his arm on his pants and avoided looking in Jen's direction.

Jen glanced nervously around, apparently uncomfortable. "Umm, we only have one blanket," she announced at last.

Wes swallowed hard and nodded slowly, "yeah, I noticed. You keep it, I'll be fine."

The pink ranger sighed heavily, "No, you'll freeze to death! We're both adults here, I'm sure we can share a blanket without trouble."

Wes stared at her, not sure what to say. "Well…"

She sat on the floor closest to the old fireplace and away from the broken windows and the icy cold air they let into the already freezing cabin. She opened the blanket and offered part of it to her red ranger. "Come on, I know you're cold."

Wes agreed but a part of him held back, part of him felt wrong for sharing a blanket with her. _It's just a blanket, _he reasoned with himself_, it's not like we're eloping or something…but still._

He knew what bothered him; it was that tiny diamond ring sitting on her finger…but still, it was better than catching hypothermia and dying a slow agonizing death…

Slowly, and somewhat reluctantly, he approached her and took the offered part of the blanket, and before he knew it they were snuggled under it…and against each other. Her warm body next to his made it impossible to not get warm, but he still felt strangely cold and uncomfortable.

_Get a grip Collins! It's just a blanket!_

He argued internally with himself until he decided that of all the things that could have possible happened to him, being chased by bad guys or falling victim to Ransik, this was by far the worst-case scenario. Bring trapped in an abandoned cabin with Jen by his side, with one blanket, and enough uncomfortable silence to fill a very large canyon between them, this was definitely the worse that could happen.

* * *

One blanket...endless possibilities...Anywho, Happy New Year to my readers. The next two stories will continue with this story line, kinda like mini trilogy...thing. You know you wanna review and make me smile...Next up Secrets... 


	17. Secrets

Disclaimer: Clutches Jason action figure...because it's the only Power Ranger I own...

Challenge: Secrets

This continues from the last chapter and is labeled as part two of three.

* * *

_The thing about carrying around secrets is, they tend to get heavier.  
__- _Priest from Dark Angel. (Episode: Pollo Loco)

* * *

Wes woke with a start, his heart pounding madly in his chest and his entire body covered in a thin layer of sweat. His body was trembling uncontrollably and it had nothing to do with the frigid cold that surrounded him. Disgusted with himself for allowing the dream to get to him he tried to sit up but found that there was a warm body lying next to him, preventing him from moving. Slowly, he allowed his gaze to shift form the ceiling to the face next to his as the nightmare that had plagued him faded into a hazy memory. 

Jen's face was calm and peaceful as she dreamed away, unaffected by his sudden movements. One of her hands was balled up into a fist by her head and every once in a while it would twitch, as if she were fighting some obscene villain in her dream.

As Wes's pulse began to return to normal he noticed just how close he and Jen actually were. He was lying on his back, wrapped up tightly in the blanket with her lying beside him, her head on his chest and her other arm was draped around his waist. In her sleep she didn't know who she was holding on too. Wes quickly shifted and moved her arm away; hoping to avoid an uncomfortable scene when she woke up, but as soon as her body left contact with his he felt a chill creep in to take its place. Jen compensated for the sudden heat loss by moving closer and snuggling against his back.

Wes sighed; at least there was no chance of him freezing to death while she was around. Her body gave off more heat than the small heater that he had kept in his room as a child. Or perhaps it was just the coldness that surrounded them that made her seem so warm.

He lay still for a while, knowing that sleep would evade him the rest of the night. It always did when he dreamed of his mother and her last days…

"Wes?"

He turned slowly at the sound of Jen's quite voice. "Hmm?"

"Are you ok?"

He shook his head, "yeah why?"

"You're shaking," she said.

He felt her pull away slightly and realized that he was still trembling from the nightmare. "Oh, I just…" his voice died in his throat at the thought of his mother. "It's nothing," he covered lamely.

"Oh," whispered Jen.

He didn't know what made him ask her, maybe the cold had gone to his head, or the intimate closeness that they where sharing, maybe it was a little bit of both, either way the words came tumbling out of his mouth before he could stop them.

"I know you want to catch Ransik because he killed Alex, but it seems like there is more to it than that. Is there something that you haven't told me?"

Jen made a strangled sound but didn't answer, so Wes went on.

"Listen," he said slowly, "I know that we don't really know each other and it's not really any of my business but yesterday when you opened up about your past with Alex, well…I don't know. It made me curious about the rest of your life." He paused. "Jen? I'm I overstepping my bounds here?"

"I…well…" She took a deep breath, and then moved so that she could look at his face in the darkness. "You're right. There is more to the story than that. I want to catch Ransik and make him pay for what he did to me and Alex. He took him away from me, and I…" She shook her head and looked away as a mysterious wetness appeared in her eyes. "But Alex wasn't all he took away. He killed my parent's and my brother too. When I was little, I barely escaped. I was sent to live with an aunt and uncle until I was old enough to join Time Force. They were great but there was no replacing what I had lost, and it didn't change the fact that I was all alone in the world. They tried so hard to make it feel like we were a family, but I never really felt that connection again. Plus, I wanted so badly to avenge my parent's deaths but then when I finally got there I was horrible at the Academy. I was flunking everything and on the verge of quitting when I met Alex." A sad smile crossed her face as she rubbed at her nose with the edge of the blanket. "But then Ransik took him from me too."

Wes turned over to face her but she refused to look at him, choosing instead to stare blankly at the wall in front of her.

"I'm so sorry," he said finally, his voice small and unsure.

Jen shook her head and a few tears flew wildly away, "it's ok," she said quickly, then," I'm not sure why I told you that, I've never told anyone about my parents."

"You can't keep something like that bottle up inside forever, it'll destroy you eventually," said Wes, surprising himself at his own insight.

"No, not if you don't let it," argued Jen.

He shook his head slowly then reached up and gently placed his hand on her shoulder. He felt her tense at his touch but gradually she relaxed. Wiping away her tears she turned to meet his steady gaze.

"I know how you feel…kinda. My mom died too….I was eight when she got sick. She hung on for a while, fought the good fight, but it was too much. My dad always said that a women like her would be hard to let go, and she was. By the time I was nine she was gone. Dad tried to act like nothing had changed, like we were still a family, but over time we grew apart. I guess I didn't realize just how much until recently."

He felt a tug at his heart as his voice failed him. For a while, the pair sat in silence, reflecting on what the other had said until Jen finally spoke. Her voice was small but full of warmth.

"Thanks Wes," she said simply.

"For what?"

"For always being there when I need you."

She allowed him a smile and he returned it before she lay back down and drew the blanket over her head.

"Wes?"

"What?"

"You're going to freeze to death if you stay out from under the cover much longer."

Wes nodded but his body refused to move. He sat for a while longer, thinking things over. Something had changed between him and Jen over the past few days. Something that was entirely Ransik's fault. Jen had revealed to him a secret that she had kept hidden from the world. Trust, it was something that they were both learning to place in each other, and the fact that Jen had placed her secret in his care meant the world to him. He knew that he would never betray that trust that had sprung up, because once it was gone there was no chance to ever regain it. Trust, it was a fragile gift and one that was seriously lacking in the modern world.

He smirked to the darkness and snuggled back under the cover, no longer uncomfortable or feeling completely out of place, and as Jen's arm draped itself once more over his waist in a friendly gesture of warmth, he allowed himself to melt against her side. After all what was the harm in two trusting friends sharing a blanket?

* * *

Grins. Ok, so classes start back tomorrow and I fully intend to get in as much writing time as possible...mainly because I have an hour and a half break in which to do nothing else. So if you are reading my story 'Infinite Possibilities' look for an update soon! Now, review! And the last part of this, Dawn, is also coming soon. Have a great rest of the week:) 


	18. Dawn

Disclaimer: If you don't know by now...

Challenge: Dawn

Part 3 of 3.

* * *

"_We need to be reminded sometimes that a sunrise last but a few minutes. But its beauty can burn in our hearts eternally." _

_– Drizzt Do'Urden_

* * *

Wes drew his knees up to his chest and rested his chin on them. Jen had fallen asleep rather quickly after their discussion but Wes knew that sleep would evade him for the rest of the night. It always did when he dreamed of his mother. He let out a long, unhappy sigh as he watched the stars twinkling merrily above him, heedless to the pain below them. 

He had thought that the pain would fade with time, and it had for the most part, but there were times when he could feel it as clearly as if it had just happened. It felt like someone took a red hot poker and twisted it into his heart as deeply as they possibly could. He didn't know why the pain was worse sometimes, or why he even felt it at all. He had known for over a year that the end was coming, that it was inevitable. Wes had slowly begun to detach himself from his mother and the unavoidable pain her death would cause him. He stopped going to visit her in the hospital and he stopped thinking about her as much as was possible. Things would be better that way, he just knew it, but what does a nine year old know about such things? He had been ready for it, or so he thought, but the agonizing hours that he had spent by her bedside as she slowly slipped further and further away from him into the darkness had proven him wrong. He had broken down and cried, unashamed in front of his father and family as the pain and guilt of trying to distance himself from her overwhelmed him. He had always been close to his mother as a child, so close that he had been accused more than once of being a "mama's boy".

He sighed again and angrily wiped away the hot tears that had started to fall. Why was he thinking about this now? Was it because there was a chance that he would freeze to death out in this barren wasteland? Would it be as slow and painful as his mothers? Would he ever stop hating himself for the way he treated her during her last days?

A warm hand was placed on his shoulder and he stifled a cry of pain and regret as Jen sat down beside him. She draped the blanket around his shoulders and he gratefully accepted it and the warmth that her small body provided next to his.

"Are you ok, Wes?"

Wes nodded, not trusting himself to speak just yet.

Jen looked at him appraising as if she was trying to see beyond the invisible, yet solid, wall that he had just thrown up around himself and his emotions. Finding nothing but a blank stare she offered him a small smile.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Wes shook his head in the negative gesture but found that he did want to talk about it. Everything came pouring out of him before he could stop it. Jen listened intently and nodded at the appropriate moments as he emptied his soul to her. Finally, when he had finished speaking, silence fell over them. But for once it wasn't an awkward or uncomfortable silence; it was companionable and full of understanding.

"You can't blame yourself for what happened," started Jen.

"I don't," said Wes cutting her off. "I just blame myself for being such an ass."

Jen placed her arm in the crook of his and smiled. "Wes, your mother knew that you loved her, right to the very end. She knew that you were going to have a hard time coming to grips with what was happening and that different people deal with different situations in different ways. I'm sure she knew what was happening, but the most important thing is that she _knew _you loved her and she wouldn't want you to beat yourself up about it now."

Wes nodded and when he spoke again the quiver that had been part of his voice before was gone. "You're right Jen, but it still hurts to know how I acted. I just…I just wish I could go back in time and make things right. Just tell her once more…but your right. She knew and that's all that matters in the big scheme of things."

He allowed himself a small smile as a sideways glance told him that Jen was pleased with herself. Somehow she knew just what to say to make him feel better.

"Thanks Jen," he added softly, not meeting her gaze.

She turned to look him in the eye, forcing him to lock gazes with her, her face merely inches from his. "You welcome. That's what friends are for, right?"

Wes's smile turned into a smirk. "Yeah," he said as the first rays of dawn broke through the darkness and bathed Jen in a rosy pale light. God, she was so beautiful. Why hadn't he noticed that before, _really_ noticed?

He sat in silent contemplation, staring at her out of the corner of his eye as the sun broke completely though the darkness and the world around them slowly came to life in the early morning chill. He saw Jen smile as she watched a squirrel jumping from dead tree limb to dead tree limb before jumping into the snow and scurrying off into the forest. With an amused laugh she turned to look at him once more, the bright sun making her face glow with more than just happiness. Wes wasn't sure what made him do it, but on a crazy impulse he leaned in closer and pressed his lips to hers and he was pleasantly surprised when she didn't resist him.

Time and space faded away around them as he deepened the kiss and for a moment, at least, the pain and regret disappeared. For a moment, all was right with the world.

* * *

So...go press that pretty little button and leave a review... :) 


	19. Dare

Disclaimer: yeahsureyoubetcha

Challenge: Dare

Set after Movie Madness

* * *

"See the good guys are the ones wearing the black hats," Trip explained to Katie as the TV blared in the background.

"And all of the good guys wear white hats," added Wes. "See you can always tell…"

He trailed off as Jen stalked over to the TV and yanked the tape out of the VCR, effectively ruining her teammate's fun and ticking Wes off for the second time that day.

She held the tape up and gave the three of them a pointed stare. "What did I say about this? I am trying to work! This is distracting!" She threw the tap at Wes with a scoff. "Do you even realize how lame that is anyway?"

"Lame," repeated Wes in disbelief. "How dare you insult the great Clint Eastwood like that!"

"Oh, I dare," said Jen as she walked back towards the picnic table. "Now will you please keep it down?"

Wes looked at Katie and Trip before jumping to his feet and walking over to where Jen was sitting. "Fine, wanna play a game."

Jen glared up at him, "didn't you just hear me…"

"I heard you," said Wes, tracing a crack in the wood with his index finger and giving her a meaningful stare. "But you are _always_ working. All work and no play makes Jen a very boring girl."

Jen scoffed and crossed her arms. Since when did Wes think she was boring? For that matter, when did everything become a competition with him?

"No," she said flatly, the tone of her voice a clear indication that the conversation was over.

Wes shrugged, "well if you're afraid of losing…"

That was the final straw. "Fine," she nearly shouted. "If I play _one_ game with you will you leave me alone?!?"

"Yes," said her red ranger with a broad grin. "Scout's honor."

Jen rolled her eyes and sat back against the wall, ignoring the foreign terminology, "what do you want to play?"

"Truth or Dare," he stated matter-of-factly.

"Oh, not that game again." Alarms immediately went off in her mind; Wes was up to something. Jen sighed, "Fine, let's get this over with. You go first."

Wes eagerly sat down on the bench on the opposite side of the table and rubbed his hands together in anticipation. Trip and Katie soon joined them, but Wes ignored them.

"Truth or Dare, Jen?"

Jen thought for a moment. Wes's dares weren't for the faint hearted and his truths often led to uncomfortable silences that usually ended the game. She sighed again and decided to take the lesser of two evils.

"Dare."

Wes crossed his arms and smirked. "I dare you to kiss me."

Jen nearly fell off of the bench in shock. "What," she chocked out, her cheeks immediately turning crimson at his absurd dare and her eyes flashing with anger. "What...you…I…"

"Easy," said Wes, defensively holding up his hands. "You don't have to do it, but if you don't then you lose."

Jen glared at him, her almost non-existent voice lodged somewhere in her parched throat. His suggestion was insane, there was no way she was going to do something like that…and yet, it would mean losing to him, something that Jen had come to despise doing. But when had everything become a damn competition with him in the first place! There was NO way…but then she had a stroke of brilliance…A small smile crept onto her face and the anger in her eyes turned to playful mischief. She leaned forward in one fluid movement and lightly kissed him on the cheek. As she leaned back she saw a variety of emotions play across his face but anger won out.

"You cheated," he pouted.

Jen laughed and patted his arm before turning back to her work. "No, because you didn't say where I had to kiss you."

* * *

Umm...ok. A cheesy game that I always hated playing, but it works for the challenge. 


	20. Knight

Disclaimer: Clutches Jason action figure...don't look at me!

Challenge: Knight

* * *

"Oh come on, It'll be fun," said Wes as he drug Jen towards the nearest clothing store.

"I don't get it," she said as she vainly tried to yank her arm out of his tight grasp. "What's the point?"

Wes sighed as the little bell above the door jingled merrily, signaling their arrival. "There is no point really. I mean all the kids dress up and go out at night to get lots of sugary candy…there are hayrides and parties and apple cider…"

Jen shook her head, "Wes, we don't have anything like this in my ti-…I mean, where I'm from."

"I can't believe that," said Wes incredulously. "No more Halloween! You guys have no idea what you're missing!"

"I'm sure," muttered Jen, still trying to pull away.

If Wes noticed her reluctance he didn't show it. He tightened his grip and let her to the back of the store where there was a cart filled with mismatched clothes and accessories. "This Jen," he said with a cute smile on his face, "is a gold mind."

Jen smirked at him as he began to dig through the pile. He looked back at her, still wearing that irresistible smile and she felt her heart melt. "Ok," she sighed, I'll do it."

"Great! Now let's see…"

Five minuets later Wes surfaced holding a shiny plastic helmet and body armor. "Perfect," he said. "Here, hold these."

Jen backed up, "no, I'm not going dressed as a knight!"

"No," said Wes rolling his eyes. "I am, just hold them for me while I find you something."

Jen reluctantly took the offered items and held them loosely by her side. She smiled shyly at the owner of the store as the little old women walked by. "Hurry up," she said quietly out of the corner of her mouth. "The owner is starting to stare."

Wes grunted but didn't surface. A few minuets later she heard something him mumble something incoherent as he came up clutching a tiara, a white gown, and a pair of clear high heeled shoes.

"Jen," he announced, "you are going as a princess."

------

The music blared through the halls as Jen sat near the steps, a cup of apple cider in one hand and a bag of candy by her side.

"Thank you," said the little boy in front of her as she handed him a small bag of candy. He smirked at her through the mask of his red ranger outfit before running off to rejoin his friends near the door.

Jen smiled as she took another sip of the apple cider, it was horrible but according to Wes it was all part of the experience. Speaking of Wes, he had been right, this was a wonderful night. The benefit party for the children's home just made it all the better.

"Hi," said a voice from behind her.

Jen stood and turned to face the newcomer. "Hello," she said. "Do you want some candy?"

The little girl, dressed in a pink ranger suit without the mask, smiled shyly up at her. "Please," she said, her voice heavily accented.

As she reached into her bag, Jen noticed that the little girl didn't have a pillow case full of candy like all of the other kids. "Where is your bag sweetheart," she asked.

The little girl blushed and turned her gaze downward. "I'm new here," she admitted. "They don't celebrate this where I'm from and I didn't know what to do."

Jen smiled as she handed her the small candy bag, "that's ok honey; I'm new at this too. What's your name?"

"Caitlin," she said as she eagerly took the package. "Are you a real princess?"

"No," said Jen with a quick glance at her costume. "I'm just dressed up like everyone else."

Caitlin smiled, "well I think you'd make a beautiful princess."

Jen blushed slightly, thank you," she said. "Caitlin, I think it's time you make some friends here." She placed her hands on the girl's shoulders and turned her to face the small group of children huddled around the door. "Do you see that little boy over there?"

"The one in the red ranger suit?"

"Yeah, why don't you go say hi?"

Caitlin smiled up at her before running off to join the group, "thank you!"

Jen smiled and watched as the boy stepped forward to introduce himself and his friends. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't hear footsteps behind her.

"That was a nice thing you did," remarked Wes as he came to a stop by her side. He had removed his helmet and was holding it limply be his side.

"Huh? Oh yeah. I guess so." She turned to see a grin on his face. "That's what this party is all about."

Wes nodded as Katie and Lucas joined them.

"Hey you guys," said Katie, "did you hear what everyone's been saying?"

Jen shook her head, "no."

Katie grinned, "Everyone is talking about your costumes! They think that it was brilliant of you two to dress up like a knight and his princess. Everyone is saying what a cute couple you two make!"

"Aww," said Jen, then, "wait, what?"

"Yep," said Lucas, "everyone here thinks you two are an item."

"Isn't that sweet?" Asked Katie as she danced out of Jen reach.

* * *

Only 20 more... 


	21. Closer

Disclaimer: Still no.

Challenge: Closer

Set during Destiny Defeated

* * *

The sun was little more than a line of orange fire along the rim of the world. Jen sat cross-legged on the couch, her eyes blankly scanned the pages of the book on her lap but her mind was elsewhere. She finally gave up and silently closed the book as her gaze shifted to the window and the figure standing there. Alex had taken up his silent watch over the city again. His familiar profile stood out vividly against the fading sunlight and Jen couldn't' help but wonder what had happened to him to make him so distant and cold. She wanted to go over to him and wrap her arms around his waist, and tell him that everything would be ok. But the truth was, she wasn't so sure anymore. 

She often dreamed about Alex and happier times, but lately, another man had slowly and silently slipped into her dreams and replaced the man at the window. He had the same face, but he was not the man she loved. Or was he?

Wes was always smiling and laughing. He was caring and warm; all the qualities that were so suddenly lacking in her fiancée. They were so alike physically, but their personalities were like night and day.

Jen sighed. Why was she comparing them? They were both good men, and despite Alex's cold and dispassionate treatment of her the last few days, he was still the man she was engaged too. She didn't know what had happened to him to change him so much but she was determined to find out.

She stood and walked to the window, her silent footsteps echoed dully on the wood floor, but they caught Alex's attention. His back stiffened ever so slightly, but he remained hunched over the stone window, his eyes locked on some far away point.

"Alex?"

Alex swallowed hard but didn't turn to meet her questioning gaze.

"Please Alex." She reached out and lightly touched his shoulder.

He sighed. "Jennifer." His voice was quite; filled with an emotion that Jen couldn't read. She wasn't sure but it might have been pain.

"What happened to you?"

Alex chanced a glance in her direction. "What do you mean?"

Jen silently cursed. They had already had this conversation. "No Alex, I want the truth. I don't want to beat around the bush about this. You know exactly what I mean. What happened that changed you so?"

"I died, Jennifer. That has a way of changing people. What did you expect? That I would be completely the same? I'm not, I can't help it."

"I—" She stopped, word's failing her for the first time. Of course she had expected him to be different, but not like this. He was so….bitter. She could hear it in his voice, and she had a feeling that there was more to the story than he was telling her.

She looked around the empty clock tower and spotted the only other occupant. Wes. He sat alone at the picnic table, his head resting in his hands as he doodled absently on a sheet of paper. He was supposed to be balancing the budget, it was his turn after all, but Wes had a short attention span when it came to math and he….that was it. That was the answer to her question. She knew that Alex didn't like Wes, and now she suddenly understood why.

"Jen?"

She pulled her attention back to the man beside her. Alex was leaning against the window, his elbow propped up on it as he stared at her with sad eyes.

"Sorry," she stuttered. "What?"

Even in the darkness she saw a dark shadow of anger cross his face. "I said I was sorry."

Alex glanced in Wes's direction. "I see," was all he said.

In the time it took Alex to glare at Wes and return his gaze to her, Jen knew that she wasn't going to get anymore information out of Alex. She sighed and gazed deep into his eyes, trying to see something, anything, that would give her peace. As she stared into his eyes, the windows to his soul, she saw nothing. Alex masked his emotions better than she would ever be able to. She had almost given up when she felt his hand on her arm.

"Jen," he said quietly, his voice barley more than a whisper. "I'm sorry. Really, I am. I—"

She shook her head as a moment of silent understanding passed between them.

"I still love you, Alex," she said.

He graced her with a small smile, but none of its warmth reached his eyes. "I love you, too."

Jen shook her head as his hand left her arm and his gaze returned to a far away point on the dark horizon. She slowly walked back to the couch as a knot tied itself together in the pit of her stomach. She did love Alex, but not the way she once had, not the way he still loved her.

She glanced over at Wes, who had fallen asleep and was snoring softly. No, Wes had slipped into her heart…but was it love? Or was it because she had thought Alex dead and tried to replace him with the closest thing she had, his double? She shook her head again as her sights returned to the man by the window with his shoulders hunched over against the chilly night air. It was in that moment that she understood…there was more than just darkness between her and Alex now. A chasm had opened up that she knew would never be fully closed again, a canyon with one on each side and neither wanting to be the first to cross it. Neither she nor Alex knew it yet, but his actions were dictating their future together and if he didn't start giving a little, he was going to push Jen closer and closer to Wes.

Perhaps that was where her destiny truly lay, but only time would tell.

* * *

Thanks to whoever nominated this story at the Season of Love awards! And to whoever nomiated my other stories too:) 

It's cold here, so as soon as I coax my stubborn muse off of the tropical island he ran away to I will update my other stories too! I promise!


	22. Color

Disclaimer: Nope, sure don't. Try someone else.

Challenge: Color

Set before A Parting of the Ways. So Wes is still living at home.

* * *

The rain came down in heavy icy sheets, blurring the world outside into a thousand different shades of gray. Wes sat by the window, his forehead pressed against the glass as his hot breath caused the window to fog up. Ghostly letters began to appear where the glass turned white from his breathing. He reached up with his index finger and retraced them but the fog faded away and the letters disappeared once more. He heaved a sigh and closed his eyes. 

For the past three days he had been sitting by the window as the sky drowned the earth around him in torrent after torrent of freezing November rain. He had come to the conclusion that he hated rain. He hated it because it stole the life from the vibrant flowers in the garden as their bright yellow and pink blooms broke off and were carried away by the unforgiving streams of water flowing down the driveway. But that wasn't the only reason he had come to hate the rain. He couldn't go anywhere in the rain, and he as such, he hadn't seen Jen in nearly a week.

Jen. A bright light in an otherwise dismal downpour. He missed her, much more than he probably should. He missed her smile, and her beautiful doe brown eyes, but most of all he missed her personality. Not_ all_ of it, he could do without her lectures and condensing looks after a battle, but he missed her brighter side, the side she rarely showed to anyone. Beneath the cold façade, there was warmth and thoughtfulness that most people had never seen.

Wes sighed again. Just thinking about her made their separation more painful to him. He tried to push her out of his mind, there weren't like that after all, they were only friends, but something outside caught his attention and brought him back to thoughts of her. A small pink flower floated by the window, its bright petals shining in the light from the house, magnifying its beauty. It was kind of ironic to Wes how so small a thing could be so beautiful and endure in the mist of so much destruction. It reminded him of Jen. She was strong and confident, a pink ray of sunshine on a cloudy day. And like the flower, she endured through the darkest of days.

The rest of the world blurred together into a muddy gray but the small pink flower stood out colorfully in the dreary water drenched world of black and gray. He watched the flower stop moving as it was snared by a few resilient weeds by the door. It was then that he realized that he wasn't thinking of the flower anymore, but of Jen.

Jen was the light in the dark. She _was_ the small pink flower that persevered against all odds and was his ray of hope when the rest of the world went dark.

That bright little flower was his; she just didn't know it yet.

He smiled contently to himself as he opened the door and ducked out into the rain to retrieve the beautiful flower. Sputtering and wet he returned to the window seat and placed the flower on the window seal. He'd keep it for awhile; press it in a book or something like his mother use to. And then, he'd give it to Jen. It only seemed fitting after all; a beautiful vibrant flower for beautifully vibrant women.

* * *

Not my best work, I know. Review anyway? Anyway, I'm so sorry that I haven't updated my other stuff in...weeks...but I am working on it. Honest. 


	23. Distraction

Disclaimer: cue evil laughter

Challenge: Distraction

Set during the whole series.

* * *

The moment that Jen saw Wes, she knew that he was going to be trouble. The way he breezed into their secluded sanctuary on the beach, looking like he owned the place, set alarms blaring in her head. An annoying little voice in the back of her mind told her not to follow him, not to let him into their group, but the prospect of having somewhere dry and relatively safe to sleep made her cave into his smooth, arrogant, rich boy's voice. She followed him to the clock tower, ever bit as suspicious of his motives as she had ever been. Why would a rich boy, who had everything he wanted handed to him on a silver platter, spend his time helping the lowly likes of her and her companions? It didn't make sense.

At first he was everything that she had expected him to be. Arrogant, know-it-all, show off who didn't know how to take no for an answer. And his arrogant way of thinking almost got his sorry ass kicked by Nadira on more than one occasion. But then, something started to change. Little by little, the spoiled brat façade started to melt away to expose the real Wes, a man who was caring and funny without being selfish and self serving. He turned out to be a great guy, still not without his flaws, but who didn't have a few dull spots that needed polishing off?

She knew she should have kept her distance from him. She knew that she should have kept her heart closed to him, but somehow the man with his charming personality and cute little smile weaseled his way into her heart of stone and broke away the rough edges. He had become the perfect distraction from the day to day monotony and the dangerous encounters with Ransik's flunkies. It wasn't until that fateful day on the beach that she realized just how much the boy had changed, and just how much he had come to mean to her. He still wasn't without his flaws, but at least he wasn't the dullest rock in the rock garden anymore.

* * *

Don't forget to hit that shiny little button and make me smile... 


	24. Pride

Disclaimer: I keep telling you...

Challenge: Pride

Set after End of Time...way after...

* * *

It was his damned pride that did it every time. It was the reason he was sitting alone in the corner, staring at the wall, while Jen was upstairs crying her eyes out into her pillow.

Wes heaved a miserable sigh and kicked the wall as hard as he could. White hot pain shot through his foot making him bite back a string of colorful profanities. He drew his knee up to his chest and rested his forehead against it, the harsh fabric of his pants pressing into his skin as he pushed his forehead tightly against them. His eyes began to burn and water from the irritating fabric softener that Jen used to wash them in but he ignored the unpleasant sensation, knowing that the fabric softener wasn't completely to blame. His eyes were watering because he had hurt Jen. Not physically, but emotionally. He knew that in time she would forgive him, but that did nothing to ease his own pain.

He had really crossed the line this time, gone so far over it that he had made a complete circle and come back to it. He knew that he should suck up his pride and go apologize, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Sometimes the truth was painful. Jen needed to learn that. The real world wasn't all butterflies and kittens…but still. Why did he have to be the one to tell her the truth? Why couldn't they just go on pretending that they were really happy together and forget everything bad that had happened in the last month or two? Why couldn't they forgive and forget?

Wes shook his head and kicked the wall with his other foot, having learned nothing from the previous experiment only seconds before. This time he let the curses flow as tears of dejection and pain cascaded down his cheeks.

Nothing would ever be the same again, no matter how much he wanted it too be. He should go apologize before it was too late, but his damned pride wouldn't let him. So instead, he sat in the corner, rubbing his puffy red eyes with the sleeve of his shirt and pretending that it didn't matter to him anymore, and that the pain inside was nothing more than a figment of his overactive imagination.


	25. Smile

Disclaimer: Uh, no.

Challenge: Smile (kinda)

* * *

Wes sighed and massaged his throbbing temples. 

"I don't get it," said a soft voice from his right. "What is the point?"

"There really is not point," he said at last. "Just do what I said. It's supposed to be fun."

He glanced up at his companions and noticed that Jen was staring at him with a smirk on her face.

"Ok guys," she said," lets do this!"

The other rangers scattered around the clock tower, hunting the brightly colored eggs that Wes had hidden that morning. Each one of them had been told that there was a special egg that contained a prize in it, and that whoever found said egg would get to keep whatever was in it. Wes had told them that when he was a child the adults had filled a big egg with candy, money, or something mysterious and hidden it somewhere where no one would look. Wes had done the same, but he doubted that anyone would find it.

Grinning to himself, he watched his friends scurrying around like ants trying to find all the pastel colored plastic eggs.

"Wes?"

He turned at the sound of his name and his smirk grew even wider. "Yes Jen?"

She held up a pink egg and gave him a confused look. "I found the big egg but…" she opened it and pushed it into his face. "There's nothing inside it."

"Ahh," he said, glancing back at the others. Finding that they were too busy peeking under the couch and in the corners he turned back to Jen. He took the egg from her and looked it over. "That's because this is the special egg."

"Oh," she said skeptically. Then she leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, "but there is nothing in it."

"I know," he informed her.

She shrugged, "then what is my prize?"

Wes licked his lips and leaned closer to her, "this," he said as he gently brushed his lips against hers. He felt his heart skip a beat when she returned the kiss and was sorely disappointed when she finally ended it. They stood there for a moment, staring at each other and he felt lost in her smile, when suddenly the moment was ruined by Trip.

"Guys," he screamed as he jumped triumphantly off the couch, "look I found the special egg!"

Sure enough he held the egg that Wes was sure no one would find, the egg he had hoped no one would find anyway…

Trip cracked it open to reveal a twenty dollar bill. "Whoo!"

"Special egg, huh?"

Sheepishly Wes turned back to Jen.

"Busted," he whispered.

Jen playfully punched him in the shoulder and snatched the egg back before rejoining the others; still smiling that beautiful smile that he knew was just for him.

* * *

Happy Easter to everyone who celebrates it:) 


	26. Duty

Disclaimer: That would still be a no.

Challenge: Duty

AU. Set somewhere near the beginning of the series.

* * *

Jen stood near the window, tension written in the ridged line of her back. The past few days had been hell on earth for her in more ways than one. She took it all in stride though, keeping her emotions tightly bottle up inside. Her sense of duty overwhelmed any loyalty she might feel for Wes or his century. It was who she was and it dictated everything that she did. Duty, it completely consumed her life and made it impossible for her to connect with someone whose sense of duty was less than adequate.

Wes sat in the shadows, silently watching her from the comfort of the couch. A small frown played around the corners of his lips as he stared at the prone figure. Her hands were locked behind her at the small of her back as she stood straight as a board, inert and unwavering the pale moonlight. To the casual observer this was a normal pose to find her in, alert and confident, but Wes knew that her looks were not only deadly, they were deceiving. Her shoulders weren't held high in sincerity, but to keep the façade of cold detachment from cracking and letting her true emotions shine through. But even despite her best efforts, a slight slump had crept into her posture. Inside, Wes knew she was a storm of emotions. Deep down she blamed herself for everything that had happened. Her verbalized attacks were directed at Wes, but her heart told her she was to blame for Trip's death.

He had tried time and again to tell her it wasn't her fault. The fiery explosion that had claimed their friend's life was a tragic accident, brought about by one of Ransik's sinister plot. There was nothing that Jen could have done that would have saved him. It was meant to be.

"Meant to be…" he whispered to the darkness that surrounded him.

Making a decision at last, he climbed to his feet and slowly approached the window.

"Jen?"

Empty silence followed his words.

He came to a stop by her side and stood with her, quietly observing the sleeping city below them. He knew from experience that Jen would talk when and if she felt like it. Any attempts to cajole her into speaking before she was ready were almost always met with cold fury or stony detachment. Never both. So it came as a surprise when she suddenly turned and threw her arms around his neck.

"Oh, Wes!"

It took him a moment to realize that she was crying; hot tears soaked through his t-shirt and sent a pang of guilt surging through his heart. "Jen, shhh, its ok," he gently cooed into her hair.

She shook her head, sending tears flying wildly in every direction.

"No, no it's not ok! Trip's….Trip's dead and it's all my fault!"

He pushed her back and cupped her face in his hands, forcing her to look him in the eyes. "No Jen. We've already been through this. There is nothing you could have done. You were outside, with us, protecting the city. It's not your fault."

"But…if I had told him no. I should not have told him to go in there. So stupid, I should have known it was a trap. If I'd gotten there faster, beaten Ransik…"

Wes pressed a finger to her lips to silence her.

"It was Trip's choice. He knew the risks." He paused, desperately searching for something too say, anything to ease Jen's pain. He sighed, knowing that what he was about to say might do more harm than good.

He put his arms around her waist and brought her to his chest, choosing his next few words with care.

"You're human Jen. Humans make mistakes. You aren't perfect and no one expects you to be. You've got to learn to let these things go. I know that's not an easy thing to do, but Trip wouldn't want you to be making yourself sick over it. He was doing his duty; any one of you would have done the same."

He chanced a glance at her face, and was saddened by the expression that he saw there. It was no longer contorted in pain and misery but into something equally as bad and at the same time much worse: confusion. Wes has never seen her look so lost before. The strong soldier, the one who always held it together, even under the worst circumstances, looked like a lost child on the verge of a breakdown. She had had to choose. Duty over a friend's well-being, and now she was second guessing herself left and right. Second guessing everything she knew and everything she had been taught. To her, duty was the glue that held her life together and kept it from shattering into chaos. But that same sense of duty had forced her to make a decision that had taken the life of a dear comrade. Wes couldn't begin to imagine how she felt. His own feelings at that moment were also too ineffable to fathom.

"I wish I could stop the pain," he whispered into her hair as he gently stoked her back, "I wish I could make it right again, but I can't. All I can do is be here for you. You've got to forgive yourself. Let the pain out, all of it. Let it out or it'll eat you alive. Just think about all the people that Trip saved by going after that bomb. Thousands of innocent people are alive because Trip wasn't afraid to do his duty. Because Trip _cared_."

Jen tightened her grip on Wes until he thought she was trying to break him in two.

"I'm not saying it's going to be ok, but in time, it'll get better."

The silence that engulfed them as Wes finished speaking was almost as uncomfortable as Jen slowly trying to squeeze the life out of him. But after a few moments her tears subsided and she leaned back to meet his gaze.

"Thank you," she said, her voice so soft he barely head it.

"You know I'm always here for you. Because _I_ care."

She gave him a watery smile. "I know and you don't know how much that means to me."

Wes felt the heat in his cheeks rising and returned her smile with a shy one of his own. "If you ever need anything Jen, anything at all, don't hesitate to ask. I know I'm not the greatest at this kind of stuff, but I try."

She nodded. "Yeah, you do kinda suck at this comforting stuff…"

He cocked his head to the side with a curt smile. "What was that? Did you just prove you had a sense of humor?"

He reached up and felt her forehead, "no fever….ok, who are you and what have you done with my Jen?"

A real smile, the first one he had seen in days, finally appeared on her face. "You're starting to rub off on me."

His grin widened as she laid her head back on his shoulder, "It's a flaw."


	27. Yield

Disclaimer: Yeah, right.

Challenge: Yield

AU. Set after End of Time. Way after.

---------------------------

The darkness that surrounded him was so utterly complete that he couldn't even see his nose on his face. He squinted into the yawing abyss before him but could tell nothing about it, other than it was black.

"Hello?"

His voice echoed off of the stone walls and bounced back with ear shattering intensity, before disappearing as if down a wind tunnel. Closing his eyes against the ominous and inescapable darkness, he tried to remember where he had been and what he had been doing before ending up in his current predicament.

He remembered the garden, and the sweet smell of the roses near the waterfall. He had been admiring the fat little cherubs that adorned its many levels and how the water had cascaded in a downward spiral through so many tiny orifices. He also remembered the small package that he had hidden inside his jacket; a present for his future bride.

A feeling of panic swept over him but quickly vanished when he realized the small ring was clutched tightly in his right hand.

"Oh." He groaned into the gloom, his voice sounding eerily hollow and distant.

What else had there been? How had he ended up in the ninth circle of hell?

He screwed up his eyes and concentrated on the past. For a moment he was back in the pristine garden, bird's songs softly serenading him as he waited. But suddenly the birds stopped singing, and the air felt cold. He thinking he was lucky to have grabbed his jacket because the weather was unpredictable this time of year, when small lights popped in front of his eyes. They danced a multicolored dance, and he might have been in Vegas watching a light show if it weren't for the nauseous sensation and the total darkness that followed. He had woken once after that, his head pounding with a massive headache that had settled behind his eyes like a house guest that had no intention of leaving, though the party was long since over. For a few seconds he had thought he was alone. Then a wet cloth was placed over his mouth, and though he tried to fight it, he felt his consciousness ebbing away.

Then, he was here. Alone, injured, and slightly afraid.

Instantly he knew what had happened. The letter he had received from Jen telling him to meet her by the fountain had been a trap, devised by Ransik to get rid of the red ranger. And he'd been stupid enough to fall for it!

"Idiot!" He screamed into the darkness.

He took a moment to better asses his situation and found that was bound to the floor. Heavy, cold chains snaked across his chest, legs, and ankles preventing him from sitting up and escaping. Water dripped in the distance, its steady rhythm slowly driving Wes insane. He knew he couldn't escape from this prison, no matter how much he wanted too.

Hours passed in a painful blur as his the feeling began to return to his numb body. His leg was broken, and he had a few cracked ribs. There was a terrible gash in his side and his life's blood was slowly pooling on the cold stones beneath him. Visions of his friends passed thought his mind in slow motion. Jen was there too, always smiling, a soothing presence in his hazy mind.

"I'm gonna die here," he whispered.

That realization hit him like a ton of bricks. He started to scream, his voice echoing off the walls and deafening him. He screamed and screamed until his throat was raw, but nothing moved in the darkness. And as the echo faded away he was left alone with nothing but his thoughts and the slow, steady drip of water.

The darkness was invading his brain now. He shook his head trying to clear the foggy feeling that was overtaking him, but it did no good. He tried to focus on Jen, but her memory was slowly fading away as the cold numbed his mind. He could still see her beautiful smile as he closed his eyes. He clung to her smile. Desperately, he clung to her memory; trying to use it to ward off the cold that had crept into his bones. He gripped the ring so tightly in his hand that the small diamond bit into the flesh of his hand. He bit back a curse as the warm blood began to flow though his clenched fingers.

"Jen…"

She was the only thought he had as he finally yielded to deaths cold embrace and crossed over to where she could never reach him…

* * *

I didn't know what to do for this challenge. I was gonna skip it all together, but that would have been cheating so...this is the end result...still seems like cheating as it's not really about them together...but hey, it kinda works! 


	28. Dependence

Disclaimer: Yeah, it's in my plans, right after world domination...

Challenge: Dependence

Set after 'Something to Fight For'

* * *

There was nothing in her appearance that suggested Jennifer Scotts couldn't take care of herself. She was a hardened soldier with a no nonsense attitude and a titanium backbone to back it up. She was independent and intelligent, both of which, in Wes' opinion, made for a deadly combination. He had decided long ago that it was probably in his best interest to remain on her good side. Otherwise he might be looking at some serious physical injury. 

Jen wasn't one to be intimidated or taken advantage of, but Wes knew that beneath that cold exterior lay a beating heart. He had seen through the tiniest crack in her shell as Jen tried, and failed, to hide the pain of losing a friend. He knew that deep down she really needed someone to look after her, someone who she could talk too, and someone who would listen without judging her. She needed a friend to lean on when the going got rough and her cross became too heavy to bear alone.

For now she was Jen-the-soldier, but before it was all said and done, Jen would need him; she just didn't know it yet.


	29. Why?

Disclaimer::Clutches Jason action figure and cries:: Nope, sure don't.

Challenge: Why?

Set during End of Time part 1

_

* * *

_

_You can complain because roses have thorns, or you can rejoice because thorns have roses. - Unknown_

* * *

Jen sat at the picnic table, photos scattered across the rough wooden surface. Her eyes searched through the choatic mess until they found the one she was looking for. She recognized it as the one she wanted when saw the tradmark red shirt and the cheeky grin. Gently, she let the others slid away as she lifted it from underneath them.

It hadn't been taken that long ago, but it felt likes years had passed since day. The last free weeks had been crammed with enough pain, suffering, and distruction to last a lifetime. And ever since Alex had returned….things had been different. The atmosphere in the clocktower had changed, and the change lingered long after the former red ranger had returned to the future. It seemed as if all the happiness that had once filled their home had gone out of it with a cold drift of wind. Jen wasn't sure if it was entirly Alex's fault, in fact, she was sure that it wasn't. All lot of it was her fault. She had been so happy to see her fiance alive that she had pushed Wes away, like a kid throws away a new and unwanted toy when it finds it's favorite old one again. She ahd thought things would go back to normal when Alex left, but the cold lingered on, and Jen couldn't understand why.

She stared at the picture, the same one that Alex had been so disgusted by during his brief visit. The same one that showed Wes kididng Jen's cheek. It was harmless fun, but the picture didn't show that. It only showed what it knew. Wes and Jen. His lips pressed to her cheek and her smiling as if this was what she had secretly wanted all along.

But it wasn't. As much as she wanted it to be, it wasn't. The truth of the matter was, she didn't know what she wanted anymore, but deep down she knew that it didn't matter. She couldn't have her way, not this time. Not when things had gone so horribly wrong.

Things would never be the same between her and Alex again. No matter how hard they tried the could never be the way they once were. So completely blinded by love. Sure, they could pretend that the last year had never happened, but Jen wasn't sure she could live a lie.

A lie…was that what it was?

She ran her thumb over the picture and placed it back on the table.

Wes was so different than Alex that it was scary. Physically, they were alike, but that was as far as the similarities went. Wes made her smile and she even found herself laughing at his stupid jokes. There was something warm and inviting about his smile. Something in it that made her feel safe and wanted. But a relationship with Wes was out of the question. He wasn't from her time and therefore had to stay behind when she left. In her time, Wes was dead. Nothing more than a distant and faded memory.

It was so unfair! She picked up the picture, slamming it picture-side-down onto the table she felt the first of many tears begin to fall. She knew she couldn't have either of them. It had taken her the better part of a year to unwittingly destroy everything that she held close to her heart. It never would have worked between her and Wes, and she could no longer look at Alex in that perfect light that she had always seen him in. He was her mentor, her savior, and now he had become something else. Something dark, something that she wasn't sure he was even aware of yet. Things had changed and she was alone.

Why? Thoughts were wirling around in her mind so fast that she felt as if her head would never stop spinning. Even the earth itself seemed to be spinning so fast that she feared she might go flying off into the dark, lonely vaccum of space. She laid her head down on her folded arms but held abck the rush of tears that threatned to overwhelm her. It wasn't until she heard a voice calling to her that she realized she had fallen asleep.

"Jennifer?"

She chanced a glance at the door, expecting to see Wes standing there, a look of concern etched upon his face, but the doorway was empty.

"Jennifer?"

Jen heaved a sigh. There were only two people who called her 'Jennifer'. One was her father,but she knew that was not his voice softly saying her name. She looked up and saw Alex staring at her from the computer screen.

"Jen? Are you ok?"

"Yeah," she lied, looking away to keep him from seeing the truth written upon her face. She busied herself with fixing her hair before staring at a fixed point well beyond the screen.

"Is something wrong, Alex?"

She heard the hesitation in his voice, "Jen, where are the others?"

"There out," she said simpliy.

"Oh." He seemed dissapointed. "When will they be back?"

"I don't know." She heard him sigh, and was suddnely irritated. "What do you want," she snapped, instantly regreting her tone.

"I—" he began, but at that precise moment the others entered the room.

Jen felt Trip plop down beside her on the bench as Alex began to speak. For a moment she let his words blur together. She was so lost in her own thoughts that she nearly missed the last part of the conversation.

"You must return."

"What about Wes?"

She actually saw a bit of regret in Alex's eyes. "Wes isn't from our time…."

Jen turned to look at the man standing by her. The time had come. She had to leave him behind. There was so much she wanted to say but she couldn't bring herself to utter a single word. The time for words had come and gone,and there was nothing left to say…

Nothing but goodbye….

Why was her life so unfair?

* * *

Review? 


	30. Test

Disclaimer: If I did, do you really think I'd be writing fanfics about it?

Challenge: Test

Set 1 year after End of Time part 3

* * *

_When you relinquish the desire to control your future, you can have more happiness." - Nicole Kidman_

* * *

A strangled squeaking sound issued from Jen's throat as she tried desperately to disentangle herself from Wes.

"Wes, I can't do this!" She said in a panicked voice.

Wes tightened his grip on her shoulders and forced her to walk forward as the line they were currently standing in crept frontward. He gently rubbed her back with the palms of his hands; moving them slowing around in circles to ease the tension. "Relax, Jen, I _know_ you can do this."

She nodded meekly but her apprehension remained firmly intact, squirming uncomfortably in the pit of her stomach.

"It's just like we practiced," he whispered into her ear.

Jen shook her head as she suddenly found herself at the small window.

"Next," shouted the pimply faced kid behind the glass.

She felt Wes give her a small shove and, forcing a smile to her face, strode up to the window. Five minuets later she found herself in yet another line, but this time she and Wes were standing outside in the oppressing summer heat that Jen had come to hate. It was never this hot in the future…but then again, they had a controlled environment.

"Ok," she heard him say, "let's just go through it one more time. What is the speed limit on the highway?"

"55," she said confidently.

Wes shot her a charming smile, "right and what is it in a residential area?"

She took a deep breath as her mind went completely blank. "Umm…" She racked her brains but was unable to remember.

What if she spaced during the test? She would totally let Wes down, and after all the hard work he had went thought to help her too. She wasn't sure if she could bare the look of disappointment on his face if she came back without a driver's license.

Jen saw him nod his head in encouragement and the answer came readily to her lips, rolling off her tongue like she had never hesitated, "35."

Wes' grin widened as he scooped her up in one of his trademark bear hugs. "Right! See, you're going to do fine. I have confidence in you."

"Right," she said, feeling nervous about letting him down once more. Her stomach did an odd back flip as he pointed to the car that had just pulled up to the curve and stopped.

"Go, get 'em."

"See ya in a bit, "she muttered as she climbed into the driver's side and slammed the door on her future shut.

This was more than just a test to finally get her license it was also a test of their relationship. She had been in the twenty first century for a little over a year now, and Wes had decided that if she was to remain there with him, she needed to be able to get from point A to point B without relying on anyone else. And a driver's license would give her that independence. He had spent days preparing her for this moment. He had given her pop quizzes when she least expected it, like that time she had just climbed out of the shower, and had even let her drive his car to the store and back while he coached from the passenger seat. Eventually he had stopped giving her hints and helping her look for other cars, stating that it was up too her. A few hours into the driving she decided that it wasn't so different from driving in the future. At least as far as the car went. The signs and laws were what had thrown her for a loop. They were so different and turned out to be the hardest things to learn and retain. She kept wanting to drive like she would have back home, but driving like that here would probably make her fail the test.

_Just relax, _she thought as she turn the key in the ignition and pulled out of the parking lot. _You can do this…Wes thinks you can do this. Don't him down, but most of all don't let yourself down. Stop worrying, just go with the flow._

"Turn right at this intersection," said the small driving instructor with a gentle smile.

Jen nodded and relaxed her grip somewhat on the steering wheel. "Ok."

-------

Jen found Wes sitting on the hood of this car and sipping on a bottle of water as she skipped up behind him twenty minuets later.

"Hey," he said over his shoulder, "so, what's the news? Is my girl now an officially licensed driver by the great state of California?"

She gave him a sorrowful look before lowering her eyes. "Wes, I tried, really I did…"

His smiled disappeared and he reached out and put his hand on her shoulder. "Hey, it's ok Jen; we can always come back next week and try again. It' not a big deal…"

She spoke up, breaking right across his well meaning speech. "I tried, I did, but I just couldn't take a good picture," she said with a smug grin as she shoved her newly minted license into his other hand and taking great amusement from his reaction.

"But you…I…" he sputtered, then, slinging an arm around her shoulders, kissed her forehead. "I think it's a beautiful picture."

"You would," she teased.

He grinned at her and slipped his sunglasses down onto the bridge of his nose. "Come on; let's go get some ice cream to celebrate!" He flipped her his keys, "you drive, babe."

* * *

Yay! For once I wrote something happy! You know what to do. 


	31. Reaction

Disclaimer: Hell yeah! I own California too!

Challenge: Reaction

AU. Set a few years after the season ended.

* * *

Jen snuck upstairs after dinner with her heart beating furiously in her chest; the moment of truth was finally upon her. She peeked down the stairs before cautiously entering the bathroom and easing the door shut. Hearing it click into place, she let out the breath she didn't realize she had been holding, but as soon as she glanced across at the counter her breath caught in her throat again. 

There is sat on the cold marble countertop, looking so deceivingly innocent, yet holding her future in its tiny little clutches. Taking another deep breath, to steady herself, she closed the distance between herself and fate. Carefully, as if she were afraid it would bite her, she picked up the cardboard box and began to read.

After following the small black and white instructions, Jen sunk down on the edge of the bathtub to wait. A small squeal of delight took her mind away from the hot and confined cave that the bathroom had suddenly transformed into. Looking out the window she saw the sun setting on the horizon, bathing the small suburb in a tranquil orange glow at the onset of dusk. Letting her gaze drift down the haze of pink and orange she eventually found the source of the noise. A tiny smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she watched Wes and their four year old son, Joey, happily tossing a foam football around the enclosed backyard. Wes tossed the ball towards Joey but it sailed through his open arms and straight towards Jen's rose bushes.

"Careful," she heard Wes call as Joey took off at full speed after the bright yellow ball. It had stopped just short of a potential accident-waiting-to-happen, but Joey had to fend off Kipper, the family dog, to retrieve the football.

Jen couldn't help but grin as she watched her two favorite men, and it seemed like she had been watching them only a few seconds when a buzzing brought her back to the small white bathroom. Sighing, she turned off the clock and faced the cold countertop.

_This is it,_ she thought heavily. Picking up the small piece of plastic, she stared uncertainly at the still blank screen. After two weeks of waiting and wondering, her fate lay in that small empty space…that small empty space that was finally beginning to shimmer into life as a little pink line spread across the gray matter.

She didn't know how to feel at first because it was so unexpected. But the longer she stared at the tiny pink line she began to feel as empty as the gray box had been only seconds before. She hadn't realized just how much she wanted another baby until she knew it wasn't going to become a reality. The doctors had warned her that Joey would be her only child, but she had dared to hope. At the same time she clung to Joey, happy and content that he would be their only child, but now, staring at that shred of pink, she felt something slowly die inside. Because she never knew just how badly she had wanted it.

A small hot tear slid down her cheek as she stood and tossed the useless piece of plastic into the garbage. She stared down into the garbage, lost in her thoughts, until she heard footsteps on the landing and hastily wiped the tear away. Straightening her blouse she opened the door and stepped out into the hall just in time for a small, sweaty, body to slam into her knees.

"Joey, be careful," she scolded, but her heart warmed at the sight him.

The excited four-year-old grinned mischievously up at her, his brown eyes, so much like his fathers, glowed with happiness.

"Mom! Come play with us," he said, dancing out of her reach on his way back to the staircase. "Come on!"

Jen laughed in amusement as he ran back, grabbed her hand, and tried to pull her down the steps, "Okay, sweetheart, I'm coming."

She flicked one last glance back at the trashcan in the corner before following her impatient son down the stairs and out into the backyard. Joey would have no brothers or sisters, but strangely, Jen was finally at peace with that.

Out in the yard, Wes wrapped his arms tightly around her waist and kissed her forehead as Joey raced after Kipper to reclaim his stolen football. Jen beamed up at Wes and buried her face in his strong chest.

As the last rays of sunlight vanished beyond the horizon, she knew she had all she ever wanted.

* * *

I think this is the best chapter in a _long_ time. Still, leave a review and make me happy. :) 


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